New tree sprouts in front of the farmer, harvested wood in the background. Note the proximity of the crop (millet) to the tree without detrimental effect (Tony Rinaudo)

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (Niger)

Description

FMNR is the systematic regeneration of living and sprouting stumps of indigenous vegetation which used to be slashed and burned in traditional field preparation.

The naturally occurring seedlings and/or sprouts are managed and protected by local farmers. Most suitable are species with deep roots that do not compete with crops and have good growth performance even during poor rainy seasons. In the case study area the three most valuable species – as perceived by land users – are Faidherbia albida; Piliostigma reticulatum and Guiera senegalensis.

Purpose of the Technology: This option allows idle land to become a productive resource during an otherwise unproductive eight-month dry season.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: The ideal density, when grown with cereal crops, is between 50 and 100 trees per hectare. For each stump, the tallest and straightest stems are selected and side branches removed to roughly half of the stem height. Excess shoots are then removed. Regular pruning of any unwanted new stems and side branches stimulates growth rates. Farmers are encouraged to leave 5 stems / shoots per tree, cutting one stem each year and letting another grow in its place. On removing a shoot, the cut leaves are left on the surface where they reduce erosion and are then eaten by termites, returning the nutrients to the soil. The remaining shoots continue to grow, providing a continuous supply of wood. From the first year, firewood is collected from trimmings. From the second year on, cut branches are thick enough to sell. A more intensive form of FMNR is to profit from every stump sprouting on the land.

Natural / human environment: FMNR is a simple, low-cost and multi-benefit method of re-vegetation, accessible to all farmers, and adapted to the needs of smallholders. It reduces dependency on external inputs, is easy to practice and provides multiple benefits to people, livestock, crops and the environment. Tree layout will need to be carefully considered if ploughs are used for cultivation.

Location

Location: Maradi, Niger

No. of Technology sites analysed:

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 7.1, 13.48333

Spread of the Technology: evenly spread over an area (50000.0 km²)

In a permanently protected area?:

Date of implementation: 10-50 years ago

Type of introduction
Re-sprouting tree stumps and roots: the basis of FMNR (Tony Rinaudo)
Typical FMNR farm after harves (Tony Rinaudo)

Classification of the Technology

Main purpose
  • improve production
  • reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
  • conserve ecosystem
  • protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies
  • preserve/ improve biodiversity
  • reduce risk of disasters
  • adapt to climate change/ extremes and its impacts
  • mitigate climate change and its impacts
  • create beneficial economic impact
  • create beneficial social impact
Land use

  • Cropland
    • Annual cropping
Water supply
  • rainfed
  • mixed rainfed-irrigated
  • full irrigation

Purpose related to land degradation
  • prevent land degradation
  • reduce land degradation
  • restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land
  • adapt to land degradation
  • not applicable
Degradation addressed
  • soil erosion by wind - Et: loss of topsoil, Ed: deflation and deposition
  • biological degradation - Bc: reduction of vegetation cover, Bq: quantity/ biomass decline, Bs: quality and species composition/ diversity decline
  • water degradation - Ha: aridification
SLM group
  • natural and semi-natural forest management
SLM measures
  • vegetative measures - V1: Tree and shrub cover
  • management measures - M1: Change of land use type

Technical drawing

Technical specifications

Establishment and maintenance: activities, inputs and costs

Calculation of inputs and costs
  • Costs are calculated:
  • Currency used for cost calculation: USD
  • Exchange rate (to USD): 1 USD = n.a
  • Average wage cost of hired labour per day: n.a
Most important factors affecting the costs
Main costs are in the form of labour. One man could prepare one hectare in 1–3 days, depending on tree density (labour is undertaken by the farm owner and rarely through paid labour). No inputs used; no extra tools needed, tools are available on-farm (hoe, axe, machete etc). Maintenance costs depend on tree density also and could require 1–2 days/year/ha.
Establishment activities
  1. Select 50 - 100 stumps per hectare for regrowth during the dry season (Timing/ frequency: dry season)
  2. Select the tallest and straightest stems and prune side branches to roughly half the height of the stem (using sharpened axe or machete and cutting upwards carefully) (Timing/ frequency: None)
  3. Remove excess shoots, leave the cut leaves on the surface (Timing/ frequency: None)
  4. Prune any unwanted new stems and side branches (each 2-6 months) (Timing/ frequency: None)
Establishment inputs and costs
Specify input Unit Quantity Costs per Unit (USD) Total costs per input (USD) % of costs borne by land users
Labour
Labour ha 1.0 6.0 6.0 100.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology 6.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD 6.0
Maintenance activities
  1. Cut one stem (per tree) each year and let another grow in its place (Timing/ frequency: None)
  2. Once the stems selected for growth are > 2 meters high, they can be pruned up to two thirds (Timing/ frequency: None)
  3. Prune any unwanted new stems and side branches (each 2-6 months) (Timing/ frequency: None)
Maintenance inputs and costs
Specify input Unit Quantity Costs per Unit (USD) Total costs per input (USD) % of costs borne by land users
Labour
Labour ha 1.0 4.0 4.0 100.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology 4.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology in USD 4.0

Natural environment

Average annual rainfall
  • < 250 mm
  • 251-500 mm
  • 501-750 mm
  • 751-1,000 mm
  • 1,001-1,500 mm
  • 1,501-2,000 mm
  • 2,001-3,000 mm
  • 3,001-4,000 mm
  • > 4,000 mm
Agro-climatic zone
  • humid
  • sub-humid
  • semi-arid
  • arid
Specifications on climate
Thermal climate class: tropics
Slope
  • flat (0-2%)
  • gentle (3-5%)
  • moderate (6-10%)
  • rolling (11-15%)
  • hilly (16-30%)
  • steep (31-60%)
  • very steep (>60%)
Landforms
  • plateau/plains
  • ridges
  • mountain slopes
  • hill slopes
  • footslopes
  • valley floors
Altitude
  • 0-100 m a.s.l.
  • 101-500 m a.s.l.
  • 501-1,000 m a.s.l.
  • 1,001-1,500 m a.s.l.
  • 1,501-2,000 m a.s.l.
  • 2,001-2,500 m a.s.l.
  • 2,501-3,000 m a.s.l.
  • 3,001-4,000 m a.s.l.
  • > 4,000 m a.s.l.
Technology is applied in
  • convex situations
  • concave situations
  • not relevant
Soil depth
  • very shallow (0-20 cm)
  • shallow (21-50 cm)
  • moderately deep (51-80 cm)
  • deep (81-120 cm)
  • very deep (> 120 cm)
Soil texture (topsoil)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Soil texture (> 20 cm below surface)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Topsoil organic matter content
  • high (>3%)
  • medium (1-3%)
  • low (<1%)
Groundwater table
  • on surface
  • < 5 m
  • 5-50 m
  • > 50 m
Availability of surface water
  • excess
  • good
  • medium
  • poor/ none
Water quality (untreated)
  • good drinking water
  • poor drinking water (treatment required)
  • for agricultural use only (irrigation)
  • unusable
Is salinity a problem?
  • Yes
  • No

Occurrence of flooding
  • Yes
  • No
Species diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low
Habitat diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low

Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Market orientation
  • subsistence (self-supply)
  • mixed (subsistence/ commercial)
  • commercial/ market
Off-farm income
  • less than 10% of all income
  • 10-50% of all income
  • > 50% of all income
Relative level of wealth
  • very poor
  • poor
  • average
  • rich
  • very rich
Level of mechanization
  • manual work
  • animal traction
  • mechanized/ motorized
Sedentary or nomadic
  • Sedentary
  • Semi-nomadic
  • Nomadic
Individuals or groups
  • individual/ household
  • groups/ community
  • cooperative
  • employee (company, government)
Gender
  • women
  • men
Age
  • children
  • youth
  • middle-aged
  • elderly
Area used per household
  • < 0.5 ha
  • 0.5-1 ha
  • 1-2 ha
  • 2-5 ha
  • 5-15 ha
  • 15-50 ha
  • 50-100 ha
  • 100-500 ha
  • 500-1,000 ha
  • 1,000-10,000 ha
  • > 10,000 ha
Scale
  • small-scale
  • medium-scale
  • large-scale
Land ownership
  • state
  • company
  • communal/ village
  • group
  • individual, not titled
  • individual, titled
Land use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Water use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Access to services and infrastructure

Impacts

Socio-economic impacts
Crop production
decreased
x
increased


At least doubled

animal production
decreased
x
increased


Nutritious pods as fodder

wood production
decreased
x
increased


Production value increased by 57%

farm income
decreased
x
increased

workload
increased
x
decreased


Annual clearing and burning of tree stems (for land preparation) is not necessary any more

Socio-cultural impacts
food security/ self-sufficiency
reduced
x
improved


Edible leaves/fruits; bridge food shortages

quality of life
reduced
x
improved


Reduced wind speeds and dust; shade is available; barren landscape is returning to a natural savannah

disaster risk reduction
decreased
x
increased


FMNR acts as an insurance policy

livelihood and human well-being
reduced
x
improved

Ecological impacts
soil cover
reduced
x
improved

Quantity before SLM: 30
Quantity after SLM: 45
trees / ha
Increased tree density on farmland

nutrient cycling/ recharge
decreased
x
increased


Dung; livestock spends more time in fields with trees

soil organic matter/ below ground C
decreased
x
increased


From leaf fall and trimmings

biomass/ above ground C
decreased
x
increased

plant diversity
decreased
x
increased

beneficial species (predators, earthworms, pollinators)
decreased
x
increased

habitat diversity
decreased
x
increased


Creation of habitat, food and shelter for predators of crop pests

pest/ disease control
decreased
x
increased

wind velocity
increased
x
decreased


Resulting in greater deposition of rich, wind blown silt; improved micro-climate

Off-site impacts
Urban populations benefit from cheaper, sustained wood supply and reduced incidence of dust storms
decreased
x
increased

Cost-benefit analysis

Benefits compared with establishment costs
Short-term returns
very negative
x
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
x
very positive

Benefits compared with maintenance costs
Short-term returns
very negative
x
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
x
very positive

Annual income from selling wood: US$ 140 (from the 6th year after implementation).

Climate change

Gradual climate change
annual temperature increase

not well at all
x
very well
Climate-related extremes (disasters)
local rainstorm

not well at all
x
very well
local windstorm

not well at all
x
very well
drought

not well at all
x
very well

Adoption and adaptation

Percentage of land users in the area who have adopted the Technology
  • single cases/ experimental
  • 1-10%
  • 11-50%
  • > 50%
Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have done so without receiving material incentives?
  • 0-10%
  • 11-50%
  • 51-90%
  • 91-100%
Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?
  • Yes
  • No
To which changing conditions?
  • climatic change/ extremes
  • changing markets
  • labour availability (e.g. due to migration)

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Strengths: land user's view
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
  • FMNR is a simple, low-cost and multi-benefit method of re-vegetation, accessible to all farmers, and adapted to the needs of smallholders
  • It reduces dependency on external inputs, is easy to practice and provides multiple benefits to people, livestock, crops and the environment
  • None
  • None
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
  • None
  • None
  • None
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome
  • Scarce presence of live tree stumps alternatively broadcast seeds of indigenous species (reduced short-term benefits; high mortality rates)
  • Cultural norms and values: ‘a good farmer is a clean farmer’ (= no trees) work with all stakeholders to change norms
  • Land (including trees) is treated as common property during dry season; damaging and removing trees on other people’s land occurs create sense of ownership of trees: (1) Encourage communities to develop rules that respect property; (2) Local forestry authorities granting informal approval for farmers to be able to reap the benefits of their work.

References

Compiler
  • Unknown User
Editors
Reviewer
  • David Streiff
  • Deborah Niggli
  • Alexandra Gavilano
Date of documentation: Oct. 29, 2010
Last update: June 12, 2019
Resource persons
Full description in the WOCAT database
Linked SLM data
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution Project
Key references
  • Rinaudo T (1999): Utilizing the Underground Forest: Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration of Trees, in Dov Pasternak and Arnold Schlissel (Eds). Combating Desrtification with Plants.:
  • Cunningham PJ and Abasse T (2005): Reforesting the Sahel: Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration; in Kalinganire A, Niang A and Kone A (2005). Domestication des especes agroforestieres au Sahel: situation actuelle et perspectives. ICRAF Working Paper, ICRAF, Nairobi.:
  • Haglund E, Ndjeunga J, Snook L, and Pasternak D (2009): Assessing the Impacts of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration in the Sahel: A Case Study of Maradi Region, Niger (Draft Version):
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