The Future of the Sahel Phil Dobie, Antoine Kalinganire and Jules Bayala World Agroforestry Centre

1. The Future of the SahelPhil Dobie, Antoine Kalinganire and Jules BayalaWorld Agroforestry Centre

2. Challenges for the Sahel 6

3. Challenges for the Sahel 6

4. Challenges for the Sahel 6

5. Challenges for the Sahel 6

6. Challenges for the Sahel Rising population implies increasing food demands Poor farming practices Overgrazing and excessive tillage leave exposed soils to erosion and increased water loss due to runoff Land, forests and tree tenure Loss of biodiversity 6

7. Challenges for the Sahel Rising population implies increasing food demands Poor farming practices Overgrazing and excessive tillage leave exposed soils to erosion and increased water loss due to runoff Land, forests and tree tenure Loss of biodiversity More people means more labour and productivity Improve in response to crisis Existing land management practices built on faulty “knowledge”: animals and trees vital Must respond to need Integrated livestock and farming systems 6

8. Challenges for the Sahel Trees, grass, cereals, legumes Restoration of environment for production Maximize production Water penetration Transform landscapes to transform livelihoods Fragile environment with sparse vegetative cover 70% area is already naturally degraded to different extents Limited arable land resources Recurrent droughts Sahelian areas and people are under continuous threat from land degradation, desertification, food insecurity and poverty 5

9. Challenges for the Sahel Trees, grass, cereals, legumes Restoration of environment for production Maximize production Water penetration Transform landscapes to transform livelihoods Fragile environment with sparse vegetative cover 70% area is already naturally degraded to different extents Limited arable land resources Recurrent droughts Sahelian areas and people are under continuous threat from land degradation, desertification, food insecurity and poverty 5

10. Animal production

11. Trees on farms • Fodder for animals • Increase biodiversity • Fruit production • Traditional medicine • Increased soil fertility • Decreased soil erosion • Reduced wind speed • Increased crop yields • Increased water infiltration • Decrease in temperature • Inexpensive and easy to adopt • Increase in biomass and carbon • Contribute to mitigating and adapting to climate change

12. Sustainable land & soil management Improved fallow systems, introduction of leguminous cover crops, help restoring soil fertility to degraded lands Trees when intercropped with crops add nutrients and organic matter to the soil and also reduce weeds and soil surface evaporation 18

13. Maize farming in a Faidherbia albida parkland, Niger

15. Sustainable water management 20

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17. The future & way forward… • Focus on land stewardship • Make policies work for people. Shift extra-legal norms into legal frameworks • Invest in agroforestry as a springboard for development. Agroforestry gives people food, opportunities, hope. They then need education, health, knowledge, markets 22

18. So what are we waiting for?