1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Book project: SLM in Practice - Guidelines and Best Practices for Sub-Saharan Africa (SLM in Practice)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD/CORAF) - Senegal

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Parklands are the traditional agroforestry systems of semi-arid West Africa or Sahel where naturally growing, valuable trees are protected and nurtured on cropping and grazing lands

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

For the rural people in the Sahel, parkland trees are multipurpose: they are a grocery shop, a pharmacy and a silo at the same time. People rely on many locally cherished species to provide food and nutritional security for both human and livestock populations and to protect and enrich soils. Important tree species are baobab (Adansonia digitata), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Faidherbia albida, shea nut or karité (Vitellaria paradoxa, see photo 1 below) and néré (Parkia biglobosa). Crop production can be increased below and around the trees (especially under Faidherbida albida) due to the favourable micro-climate, accumulation of soil organic matter through litter fall, prunings and root decay in the predominantly sandy and poor soils.
Parkland management practices include: assisted tree regeneration (see Assisted Natural Regeneration, Burkina Faso; and FMNR, Niger); Tree planting (mostly in vicinity of family compounds); Improved fallows (under which economically useful and fertility-improving trees are planted before cropping is discontinued) and fire protection. Farmers commonly apply silvicultural techniques to increase production of parkland trees. These include seedling protection and fencing, watering, and the selection of vigorous shoots. Pruning is done to improve productivity of trees, reduce shade and enhance understorey crop performance and to produce fuelwood and fodder. It stimulates leaf regrowth, causes an additional foliation peak during the rainy season and depresses pod production. Coppicing and pollarding represent a way of limiting competition with intercrops and providing wood and other tree products in species with good vegetative growth.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

2.6 Date of implementation

If precise year is not known, indicate approximate date:

• more than 50 years ago (traditional)

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• as part of a traditional system (> 50 years)

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve production
• reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
• conserve ecosystem
• reduce risk of disasters
• create beneficial economic impact
• create beneficial social impact

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Comments:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Desertification, decline of soil organic matter and fertility, soil loss through water erosion

3.3 Further information about land use

Water supply for the land on which the Technology is applied:

• rainfed

Number of growing seasons per year:

• 1

Specify:

Longest growing period in days: 120

3.4 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• agroforestry
• rotational systems (crop rotation, fallows, shifting cultivation)
• integrated soil fertility management

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

Comments:

Main measures: vegetative measures

Type of vegetative measures: scattered / dispersed

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

Comments:

Main type of degradation addressed: Wt: loss of topsoil / surface erosion, Et: loss of topsoil, Cn: fertility decline and reduced organic matter content, Bc: reduction of vegetation cover, Bs: quality and species composition /diversity decline

Secondary types of degradation addressed: Bq: quantity / biomass decline, Ha: aridification

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• reduce land degradation

4.2 Technical specifications/ explanations of technical drawing

Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: moderate

Technical knowledge required for land users: low

Main technical functions: control of raindrop splash, increase in organic matter, increase in nutrient availability (supply, recycling,…), reduction in wind speed, promotion of vegetation species and varieties (quality, eg palatable fodder)

Secondary technical functions: stabilisation of soil (eg by tree roots against land slides), increase of infiltration, increase of biomass (quantity)

Scattered / dispersed
Vegetative material: T : trees / shrubs

Trees/ shrubs species: Faidherbia albida, Tamarindus indica, Vitellaria paradoxa, Parkia biglobosa, Adansonia digitata

4.4 Establishment activities

	Activity	Type of measure	Timing
1.	Retaining saplings from natural regeneration or wildings	Vegetative	before rainy seasons
2.	Planting improved material (early stage)	Vegetative
3.	Grafting for shortening juvenile phase and improving fruit quality (initiation stage)	Vegetative
4.	Pruning to form erect canopy	Vegetative
5.	Protection from animals by dead or live fences	Vegetative

4.6 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Type of measure	Timing/ frequency
1.	Weeding around seedlings when necessary	Vegetative	rainy season
2.	Pruning as necessary (pruned branches are dried and used for fuelwood): annually	Vegetative
3.	Pollarding (pruning of side branches to improve light for understorey crops	Vegetative
4.	Felling some trees to reduce density as they grow bigger (during dry season)	Vegetative

4.7 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

Comments:

Machinery/ tools: All activities carried out by manual labour using machetes (panga) or hoes

Data on costs is not available. However, costs for management of the land use system are low; only some pruning and trimming of trees is needed which is effectively ‘harvesting’ of fodder and wood.

4.8 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

Data on costs is not available. However, costs for management of the land use system are low; only some pruning and trimming of trees is needed which is effectively ‘harvesting’ of fodder and wood.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Comments and further specifications on topography:

Altitudinal zone: 101-500 m a.s.l. (Saponé)

5.3 Soils

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

Difference in the involvement of women and men: poor and better-off farmers (basically everyone who has land)

Population density: 50-100 persons/km2

5.7 Average area of land owned or leased by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land use rights:

• individual

Comments:

majority has ownership of the land, few borrow

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Income and costs

Other socio-economic impacts

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Soil

Biodiversity: vegetation, animals

Climate and disaster risk reduction

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.3 Exposure and sensitivity of the Technology to gradual climate change and climate-related extremes/ disasters (as perceived by land users)

Comments:

Increased tolerance through the use of indigenous species

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

If available, quantify (no. of households and/ or area covered):

100% of the area covered

Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have did so spontaneously, i.e. without receiving any material incentives/ payments?

• 90-100%

Comments:

100% of land user families have adopted the Technology without any external material support

Comments on spontaneous adoption: 10s of millions of people live in the traditional parklands of Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Niger. In Mali alone an estimated 3.6 million people practice parkland agroforestry with 40 trees per hectare.

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Generation of several ecological benefits
Wood provision for rural as well as urban population
Increased food security thanks to fruit production

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the land user’s view	How can they be overcome?
Seedlings and wildings not always readily available	encourage local seed collection and setting up of group tree nurseries
Livestock sometimes damage the young seedlings	protection by fencing
Dry periods result in low seedling survival rates: planting not possible in dry areas	combine technology with fencing
Competition with crops	regular pruning of side branches
Long period to fruiting	use vegetative propagation of superior trees

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Jonsson K, CK. Ong and JCW. Odongo. 1999. Influence of scattered nere and karite trees on microclimate, soil fertility and millet yield.

Available from where? Costs?

Experimental Agriculture 35:39-53.

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Bayala J., J. Balesdent, C. Marol, F. Zapata, Z. Teklehaimanot, SJ. Quedrago. 2006. Relative contribution of trees and crops to soil carbon content in a parkland system in Burkina Faso using natural 13C abundance.

Available from where? Costs?

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 76:193-201.

7.3 Links to relevant information which is available online

Title/ description:

Boffa, J.M. 1999. Agroforestry parklands in Sub-Saharan Africa. FAO Conservation guide no.34, Rome, 230pp

URL:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/x3940e/X3940E00.htm#TOC