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)

Projet de cash for work pour l'ouverture de bandes pare-feux à Ameidida (Abalak, Tahoua), Niger

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

Book project: Guidelines to Rangeland Management in Sub-Saharan Africa (Rangeland Management)

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

GREAD (GREAD) - Niger

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

1.4 Declaration on sustainability of the described Technology

Is the Technology described here problematic with regard to land degradation, so that it cannot be declared a sustainable land management technology?

No

Comments:

This technology is a measure for the sustainable management of grazing land, in accordance with the national and international standards.

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Firebreaks are strips from which dry vegetation – straw - is removed in order to stop the progression of fire into the large areas of grazing land. They are of paramount importance for protecting and securing available grazing.

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

In Niger, firebreaks are constructed in pastoral and agropastoral zones, which are characterized by abundant grazing after the rainy season – but also by a high risk of bush fires. Every year, at the end of the rainy season, thousands of hectares of grazing land go up in smoke due to bush-fires. This causes enormous losses of fodder, which is essential for the survival of livestock in this Sahelian region which has lacked adequate grazing over the last decades.
Firebreaks, as their name indicates, are strips of land set-up perpendicular to the dominant wind direction. They are between 20 and 30 m in width and spaced 3 to 4 km apart - according to the national standards in Niger. Along these strips, which can exceed 10 km in length in the pastoral zones, dried vegetation is removed. This creates firebreaks which stop the progression of fires into the large areas of grazing, thereby protecting and securing fodder supplies. In general, firebreaks are implemented according to a “cash for work” approach, with the aim of supporting the local economy and strengthening the resilience of the population, and of the livestock, during the lean season. Three specific objectives are set for this technology in Niger: (i) the clearance of the firebreaks is part of the annual plan for preliminary support to the populations experiencing food insecurity. These plans are implemented by the National Mechanism for the Prevention and Management of Disasters and Food Crises (DNPGCCA). This is an instrument to distribute income and food supplies to populations through the work carried out under the initiative termed “High-Intensity Labour” (HIMO), through the “work for food supplies and/or cash” approach; (ii) the selling of the straw was developed to enable people on the one hand to increase their financial resources, and on the other hand to implement strategies for storage and optimal use of the fodder resources; (iii) finally, the firebreaks provide the opportunity to ensure first, information delivery and awareness-raising amongst the local people about sustainable land management, second, the training of fire guards and livestock keepers in sustainable management of fodder resources, and third, the spatial planning of the grazing areas, with the aim of securing the movement of transhumant herds.
The main activity in the implementation and maintenance of the firebreaks is weeding with local tools (Hilaire, daba, machete) and the collection and storage of the cut straw. These activities require a large number of laborers (men and women). The main advantages of the technology are low implementation costs, ease of scaling-up, contribution to efficient management of the fodder resources, and a contribution to the training/mobilization/ organization of the pastoralist populations. Finally, it fosters efficient spatial planning of the grazing areas. The direct impacts are reduction of bushfires, improved protection of grazing areas, and an increase in the income of the local people. The indirect impacts consist of the increased financial resources of the land users, and the impacts of the measures for the prevention, and management, of disasters and food crises.
This technology, while combating bushfires and fostering the increase of incomes, contributes to improved livelihoods of livestock keepers and to sustainable land management. However, the systematic commercialization of the cut straw may reduce the potential for regeneration of the vegetation cover in the grazing areas, and may cause conflicts between the traders of straw and the land users.

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.4 Videos 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

Indicate year of implementation:

2016

2.7 Introduction of the Technology

Specify how the Technology was introduced:

• through projects/ external interventions

Comments (type of project, etc.):

The project concerned is a micro-project, financed by the Food Crisis Unit (CCA/the Prime Minister's Office), in the framework of the Annual Plan to Support Vulnerable Populations. The CCA/Prime Minister's Office is an institution of the DNPGCCA.

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

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

• ) The clearance of the firebreaks is part of the annual plan for preliminary support to the populations experiencing food insecurity. It is an instrument to distribute income and food supplies to people through the work accomplished under the “High-Intensity Labour” (HIMO) initiative through the approach of “work for food supplies and/or cash”. (ii) Selling of the straw was developed to enable people on the one hand to increase their financial resources, and on the other hand to implement strategies for storage and optimal use of the fodder resources. (iii) The firebreaks provide the opportunity to ensure information and awareness-raising of the people about sustainable land management. This includes the training of fire guards and livestock keepers in sustainable management of fodder resources, and spatial planning of the grazing areas, with the aim of securing the movement of transhumant herds.

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

Land use mixed within the same land unit:

Yes

Specify mixed land use (crops/ grazing/ trees):

• Agro-silvopastoralism

Comments:

Main animal species and products: In the pastoral zone of Abalak, the main animal breeds are cattle, camels, sheep, goats, mules and horses. The latter (horses) are becoming increasingly rare. Mules are mainly kept by Peulh (Bororo) and by some Tuareg.

Main products/ services: A small number of livestock keepers practice rainfed agriculture by producing sorghum and millet. In the lower parts of the landscape, several livestock keepers practice horticulture by producing vegetables (tomatoes, lettuce), potatoes and various fruits (mango, lemon, etc.). Over the past twenty years, irrigated agriculture has seen a spectacular development due to the implementation of adaptation strategies for climate change.

The pastoral zone in the region of Abalak is part of the northern pastoral zone of Tahoua, where agriculture is prohibited. But the local populations and the Hausa coming from the south increasingly produce millet, sorghum and cowpea on small surfaces. Likewise, in response to climate change, several livestock keepers have switched to horticulture, along with the development of irrigated horticulture in this region, which is oriented exclusively on pastoralism. Consequently, at the end of the years 2000, private ranches appeared, which tried to establish semi-ranching by fencing hundreds of hectares. These ranches, belonging to politicians or officers from the Nigerian army, are in breach with the regulation on pastoralism of 2010. In one of the cases, the FAO has supported this private initiative, which challenges the free access to grazing areas by the populations.

Livestock density: The livestock numbers (in tropical livestock units) are between 200,000 and 300,000 over the five last years, which is high considering the overall area and the human population dependent on them.

3.3 Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

Has land use changed due to the implementation of the Technology?

• No (Continue with question 3.4)

Comments:

The land use has not changed due to the implementation of the technology. In contrast, it has generated the marketing of the straw, which brings income to the livestock keepers’ organisations. It should be noted that more and more livestock keepers are developing irrigated horticulture in depressions and in the valley bottoms, because they have lost almost their entire herds after the droughts of the last thirty years.

3.4 Water supply

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

• mixed rainfed-irrigated

Comments:

The pastoral zone of Abalak receives less than 300 mm of rain per year on average. These rains, which occur over the period from June to September, cause the formation of temporary ponds, and enable the recharge of the groundwater. In the depressions and valley bottoms, several livestock keepers practice horticulture with a traditional irrigation system (camels are used as traction animals to supply the water).

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• pastoralism and grazing land management

• protection and securing grazing land

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

Comments:

The firebreaks are vegetative measures, but their adaptations go beyond vegetative measures.

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

Comments:

The firebreaks contribute to limiting the effects of bush fires on the vegetation cover and the biomass.

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

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

• prevent land degradation
• reduce land degradation

Comments:

The firebreaks contribute firstly to preventing effects from bush fires on the available grazing land, by mobilizing the local populations in regular activities of surveillance, monitoring and control of the bush fires in the grazing areas, and in imposing penalties to those responsible for the bush fires. Secondly, in case of bush fires, the effects for grazing are limited; the firebreaks therefore reduce the land degradation which would result from these bush fires.

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify how costs and inputs were calculated:

• per Technology area

other/ national currency (specify):

West African CFA franc

If relevant, indicate exchange rate from USD to local currency (e.g. 1 USD = 79.9 Brazilian Real): 1 USD =:

500.0

4.3 Establishment activities

	Activity	Timing (season)
1.	Information/awareness-raising/mobilization of the local populations	At the start of the project, after the harvest and the clearing of the fields in the agro-pastoral zone. In the pastoral zone, this activity is after the end of the rainy season.
2.	Planning workshop to identify the direct beneficiaries	After the campaign of information/awareness-raising/mobilization of the local populations, during one day
3.	Training of fire guards	After the identification of direct beneficiaries, over three days.
4.	Laying-out of the firebreaks	After the rainy season and following the training of fire guards.
5.	Weeding	After the laying-out the firebreaks.
6.	Collection, transport and storage of the straw	At the same time as weeding of the outlined strips.
7.	Selling of the straw on the markets	During the lean season (March-June).
8.	Monitoring and evaluation	During the period of implementation of the technology, and after the end of the project.

Comments:

The main activities in the implementation of the firebreaks are the weeding, the collection and the storage of the straw. In some cases, the straw is distributed between the livestock keepers (direct beneficiaries), who use it for their livestock. Monitoring and evaluation are carried out by the local contracting NGO, the technical departmental services, and by members of the sub-regional committee for the prevention and management of food crises (agriculture, livestock keeping, environment).

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Labour provided by direct beneficiaries of 'cash for work'	person-days	100.0	50000.0	5000000.0
Labour	Technical trainers	person-days	2.0	50000.0	100000.0
Labour	Technical surveyors	person-days	180.0	1300.0	234000.0
Labour	Supervision-monitoring	person-days	24.0	10000.0	240000.0
Equipment	Information/awareness-raising	person-days	6.0	10000.0	60000.0
Equipment	Drivers	person-days	16.0	7000.0	112000.0
Equipment	Supervisors	person-days	4.0	50000.0	200000.0
Equipment	Monitoring by the Chairman/Sub-regional Committee/Program for the Management of Disasters and Food crises, and by the municipality	person-days	4.0	25000.0	100000.0
Equipment	Tools for weeding (scythes, rakes, machetes, 'daba', shovels)	km	100.0	13475.0	1347500.0
Equipment	Mule/oxen carts	number	10.0	20000.0	200000.0	100.0
Other	Fuel	litre	1350.0	540.0	729000.0
Other	Support for trainees	person-days	15.0	6500.0	97500.0
Other	Administrative costs	fixed price (5%)	1.0	411000.0	411000.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology					8831000.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD					17662.0

If you are unable to break down the costs in the table above, give an estimation of the total costs of establishing the Technology:

8831000.0

If land user bore less than 100% of costs, indicate who covered the remaining costs:

The mule and oxen carts for the transport of the straw were provided by the local populations. In the cost assessment, the 20.000 CFA francs represent the rental cost for each cart.

Comments:

The firebreaks are implemented in the framework of the annual plans to support vulnerable populations in all regions of Niger. They are realized with the approach 'cash for work' after the rainy season. In a few cases, the firebreaks are cleared during the rainy season. This is not according to the national standards and does not fit in the framework of sustainable land management. Ultimately, all costs are covered by the Food Crisis Unit, except for the costs for the use of mule and oxen carts, which are owned by the direct beneficiaries.

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	Weeding	Once a year after the rainy season
2.	Collection and storage of the straw	Once a year after the rainy season
3.	Selling of the straw	Continuously during the lean season

Comments:

The maintenance activities consist of weeding the strips after each rainy season. This activity should be continuously performed during the entire period of high fire risk in the agro-pastoral and pastoral zones (October-February).

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

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Unskilled labour	person-days	100.0	5000.0	500000.0	100.0
Labour	Fire guards	person-days	150.0	1300.0	195000.0	100.0
Equipment	Small equipment (rakes, scythes, pitchforks, etc.)	km	100.0	1347.5	134750.0	100.0
Equipment	Mule/oxen carts	number	10.0	20000.0	200000.0	100.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology					1029750.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology in USD					2059.5

If you are unable to break down the costs in the table above, give an estimation of the total costs of maintaining the Technology:

1029750.0

If land user bore less than 100% of costs, indicate who covered the remaining costs:

The maintenance costs are covered by the local populations, who ensure their own compensation by selling the straw.

Comments:

The success of the maintenance is highly dependent on the income that is generated with the sale of the straw. Therefore, the livestock keepers organize themselves to maintain the firebreaks, which are used as corridors and rest areas in the majority of cases. These costs are calculated for each unit of 3 km2.

4.7 Most important factors affecting the costs

Describe the most determinate factors affecting the costs:

The most important factor affecting the costs of the technology is unskilled labour; this technology requires a large amount of labour, both for the implementation and for the maintenance.

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Indicate if the Technology is specifically applied in:

• not relevant

Comments and further specifications on topography:

The firebreaks are constructed in the grazing areas, generally on flat or gently sloping terrain. These regions consist of plateaus/glacis, plains and valleys. Several sand dunes have formed over the last four decades.

5.3 Soils

If available, attach full soil description or specify the available information, e.g. soil type, soil PH/ acidity, Cation Exchange Capacity, nitrogen, salinity etc.

There are two main soil types: (i) sandy soils and sandy-loam soils in the dune formations, and (ii) clay soils and loamy clay soils in the valleys and depressions. On the hillslopes glacis and stony soils are found.

5.4 Water availability and quality

Is water salinity a problem?

No

Is flooding of the area occurring?

No

Comments and further specifications on water quality and quantity:

The populations generally use water from the ponds and from the wells of the pastoralists. Despite the low quality of the water in the ponds, the pastoralist populations (transhumants and nomads) use the water for their daily consumption. This is because there is only a small number of wells in this region, where the groundwater is at more than 100 m depth. A water divide separates the department in two parts: in the west, the groundwater depth is more than 300 metres, which requires the construction of pumping stations, and in the east the groundwater is found at smaller depths (less than 300 m). But in the valleys and depressions, water can be found at smaller depths (lower than 100 m). In the areas with horticulture, dromedaries are generally used as traction animals to pump up the water. At some wells donkeys are used.

5.5 Biodiversity

Comments and further specifications on biodiversity:

The vegetation consists of the herbaceous and shrub layers. The herbaceous layer is dominated by the species Cenchrus biflorus, Eragrostis atrovirens, et Tribulus terrestris. Also found are species like Blepharis linarifolia, Cyperus conglomeratus, and Cymbopogon schoenantus, which are disappearing. The tree layer consists mainly of thorny plants: Acacia raddiana, Acacia ehrenbergiana, Balanites aegyptiaca and Maerua crassifolia.
The wildlife used to be abundant and varied. Nowadays, it is reduced to several species of bustards, jackals, foxes, hares and guinea fowls. Birds are the most varied and numerous species. They comprise aquatic and terrestrial species. Reptiles and rodents are also numerous.

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

The majority of the population are Tuareg. The Bororo Peulh are the second most important ethnical group. Tuareg and Bororo Peulh are nomadic or semi-nomadic livestock keepers which own most of the herds in the region. Also present are some Hausa people who have come from the south to do manual labour, and who cultivate a few patches of land in the rainy season. In the process of transhumance, whole families participate in the implementation of the activities: women, men and children. Only older people and infants do not participate in the work.

5.7 Average area of land used by land users applying the Technology

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

Land ownership:

• state
• communal/ village

Land use rights:

• open access (unorganized)
• communal (organized)

Water use rights:

• open access (unorganized)
• communal (organized)

Comments:

In the pastoral zone, the grazing land was declared communal by the scheme on pastoralism of 2010. Private land ownership in this zone does not exist according to the law. The scheme of 2010 regulates the access to resources (water and grazing land). It should be noted that private land ownership only exists in agglomerations and urban centres.

5.9 Access to services and infrastructure

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Production

Income and costs

Socio-cultural impacts

Ecological impacts

Water cycle/ runoff

Soil

Climate and disaster risk reduction

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

Specify assessment of off-site impacts (measurements):

The firebreaks have small off-site impacts. It should be noted that the transport of the straw leads to the movement of some forage seeds to other zones, where they could become invasive plants.

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

Gradual climate change

Gradual climate change

	Season	increase or decrease	How does the Technology cope with it?
annual temperature		increase	very well
seasonal temperature	dry season	increase	very well
seasonal rainfall	wet/ rainy season	decrease	very well

Climate-related extremes (disasters)

Meteorological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
local rainstorm	very well
local sandstorm/ duststorm	very well
local windstorm	very well
tornado	well

Climatological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
drought	very well
land fire	very well

Biological disasters

	How does the Technology cope with it?
epidemic diseases	very well
insect/ worm infestation	very well

Comments:

The nature of the technology enhances its resilience to disasters and other climatic extremes.

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)?

Comments:

From the perspective of the livestock keepers and the agro-pastoralists, there is no doubt about the economic and financial viability of the firebreaks. They enhance rational management of the available grazing land, by establishing a dynamic of conservation and protection. The costs of implementation and maintenance are much lower than the income generated and received from the DNPGCCA (National Mechanism for the Prevention and Management of Disasters and Food Crises), and especially lower than the opportunity costs (of the grazing land saved from bush fires) in the short/medium and long term.

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

• 1-10%

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

Almost 10% of the livestock keepers in the zone have adopted the technology, focusing on the collection and storage of the straw.

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

• 91-100%

Comments:

These livestock keepers have adopted the technology spontaneously on small surfaces. They understood the need to stockpile straw for the lean season.

6.6 Adaptation

Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?

Yes

If yes, indicate to which changing conditions it was adapted:

• changing markets

Specify adaptation of the Technology (design, material/ species, etc.):

The adaptation consisted of developing markets for the straw, and especially for forage seeds, which are collected during the weeding of the firebreaks. This adaptation led to increased marketing of the straw, and in this way transformed the management of the natural resources. According to the organisations of livestock keepers, like the “Association to Revitalize Livestock keeping in Niger” (AREN), the effect of sale of the straw is negative: it puts an additional pressure on this resource, which cannot effectively recover due to climate change.

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the land user’s view
The protection of the grazing land. In this region, where bush fires are common, a significant reduction of the impacts of these fires on the grazing land decreases the vulnerability of the local populations.
The marketing of the straw. Significant income was generated following the implementation of the firebreaks.
The ease of implementation and maintenance of the technology, and its low costs, apart from labour.

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
The protection of the grazing areas from the impacts of bush fires, which have become a disaster for the transhumant livestock keepers in the last decades.
The approach of “cash for work”, which was implemented during the construction of the firebreaks, enables on the one hand support of the vulnerable populations during the lean season, and on the other hand the creation of positive momentum for the conservation and protection of the grazing land. The combination of measures for sustainable land management and food security is, without doubt, an effective strategic instrument for this pastoralist zone, which is in an almost chronic state of crisis.

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?
The implementation of the technology could threaten the extensive management of the grazing land through the marketing of the straw.	The regulations for the marketing of straw should be strengthened, and especially the rural markets should be regulated.
The transport of the straw carries along certain forage seeds to other zones, where they could become invasive plants.	An effective transport system for the straw should be put in place.

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
The systematic marketing of the straw is a major weakness. This may reduce the potential of the vegetation cover to regenerate in the grazing areas, and cause conflicts between the traders of straw and the land users (livestock keepers, agro-pastoralists).	Conservation measures for herbaceous species and measures to control soil degradation should be put in place in the firebreaks.

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

Rapport du projet d'ouverture de bandes pare-feux à Ameidida (Abalak, Tahoua)

Available from where? Costs?

NGO ADR, CCA/Prime Minister's Office

7.3 Links to relevant online information

Title/ description:

Les bandes pare-feux du PAAPSSP: une action trois résultats!

URL:

http://www.reca-niger.org/spip.php?article929

Title/ description:

Réflexions: protéger et valoriser les ressources fourragères

URL:

http://www.reca-niger.org/spip.php?article929

Title/ description:

Dispositif National de Prévention et de Gestion des catastrophes et des Crises Alimentaires: un vaste programme de bandes pare-feux

URL:

http://www.dnpgcca.ne/images/Programme%20de%20bandes%20pare%20feu%20-%20Copie.pdf