The document discusses the challenges facing Africa's drylands, including more erratic rainfall, increasing temperatures, declining soil fertility, and a growing population. It highlights farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger as a success story for reversing desertification. It promotes agroforestry approaches like fertilizer and fodder trees as part of a climate-smart agriculture to restore productivity. These approaches include techniques like microdose fertilizer application, contour stone bunds, and rainwater harvesting. The document concludes by advocating for widespread adoption of Evergreen Agriculture across Africa to promote land regeneration and food security through integrated soil fertility management and conservation agriculture combined with trees.

1. The Crises of Africa’s Drylands
and the Promise of Agroforestry
Dennis Garrity
UN Drylands Ambassador
Distinguished Board Research Fellow
World Agroforestry Centre

7. Perfect Storm of Challenges
in the Drylands
• Rainfall is becoming more erratic and extreme.
• Temperatures are increasing, intensifying crop stress.
• Soil fertility is further declining in many regions.
• Inorganic fertilizers are increasingly expensive.
• Population growth rates remain estremely high
• Farm sizes are rapidly declining. Farming is
expanding into more marginal lands.

8. Reversing Desertification through
Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration
Southern Niger in the 1980s

9. The albida halo effect
• Microclimate buffering
• Soil fertility improvement

11. Creating a Climate SMART and Productive Agriculture with
fertilizer and fodder trees

12. Aerial view of a parkland dominated by Faidherbia in Niger

13. Major agroforestry regions in West Africa and
directions of expansion

14. Adaptation of fertilizer recommendation to local conditions
with strategic application of nurients
Other Successes:
•Local fertilizer packaging and
blending
•Target input Vouchers
•Legume-cereal rotation or
intercrop
•Participatory approaches
Application of fertilizers in the seed holes at
planting time

15. Microdose
Control

16. Contour stone bunds
Contour stone bunds slow runoff, increasing infiltration and
water available to crops.

17. Rainwater
Harvesting
Farm pond technology
Now suitable for mass
upscaling
More than 3000 farm
ponds are now operating in
Lare, Nakuru, Kenya
www.searnet.org

18. Scaling up Evergreen Agriculture
Integrating Biofertilizer and Fodder Trees into croplands
to restore and build more productive and drought resilient farming
and livestock systems
Rainwater Harvesting with an accent on simple techniques for
enhanced crop production, water recharge and water retention
integrated with agroforestry.
Integrated Soil Fertility M anagement with fertilizer
microdosing
with enhanced organic nutrient sources combined with
agroforestry.

20. 17 Countries are engaged in EverGreen Agriculture
Farmer Managed Natural
Regeneration
Conservation Agriculture with trees
Trees interplanted in conventional
tilled cropland
Farmer Managed Natural
Regeneration +
Trees interplanted in conventional
tilled cropland

21. Conclusions – Way Forward
• There is a ‘Convenient Convergence’ –
Create a Climate Resilient Agriculture through
EverGreen Agriculture for land regeneration and
food security on small-scale farms.
• The approach has taken root in Africa, and is
spreading rapidly.
• Millions of smallholders are adopting effective
land regeneration methods
• Many nations are creating the policy and
institutional environments to favor adoption

22. For More Information
Evergreen Agriculture Partnership
evergreenagriculture.net
World Agroforestry Centre
www.worldagroforestry.org
Email contacts:
d.garrity@cgiar.org
–d.garrity@cgiar.org

23. The Vision
An EverGreen Africa!
www.worldagroforestry.org
www.evergreenagriculture.net