BIODIVERSITY

CLIMATE CHANGE

DESERTIFICATION

F ORESTS

Integrated Rural Development Programme in the Ader Doutchi Maggia (Projet Keita)

f GENDER ISSUES f SUSTAINABLE A GRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT f WATERSHED MANAGEMENT The local strategies adopted under these negative circumstances have been forcefully described by P. Hugon (1993): “The individual rationality of Vegetation growth extensive cropping patterns - risk on soil conservation works minimisation, saving work force, land tenure strategies foreseeing land f Utilise restored land with scarcity, etc.- increase ecosystem appropriate sustainable cultivation Background degradation. Sahelian farmers and techniques, based on the and rationale pastoralists destroy their environment conservation of plants-water-soil in the attempt to postpone their own balance, which allow increased agricultural and animal production. The Italian engagement in areas destruction”. f Improve the living conditions of deeply affected by desertification, In this context, the Italian Cooperation the local population, through among which the African , met Niger’s request to launch a increased food-security and began in 1982. In that year, with project which is still operational strengthened social services. public opinion highly sensitised on the today: the “Integrated Rural f Contribute, wherever possible, to drought in Sahelian countries, which Development Project in the Ader increase farmers’ revenues and menaced catastrophic consequences Doutchi Maggia”, Niger, better known decrease emigration flows. similar to those experienced ten years as “Projet Keita”, executed by FAO f Contribute to strengthening earlier, the Italian Parliament was led from 1984 to 1999 and by UNOPS community institutions, through to approve the “Italian Initiative for since 2000. their direct involvement in the the Sahel”, with an initial envelope of Three main phases have been management of equipment and 500 million US$. Interventions during financed subsequently, and a fourth is revolving funds, as well as of this period were characterised by the under formulation. restored communal natural adoption of an integrated approach to Total investments amount to more resources. rural development, including emergency than 106 million euros, including initiatives whenever necessary, flexibility more than 17,5 million euros provided In 1989, a smaller bilateral project in implementation and local populations’ by the World Food Programme as was entrusted to the Italian NGO involvement in project activities. Food for Work. COSPE to collaborate and strengthen Niger, like other Sahelian countries, Phase I achievements in the fields of was experiencing a process of land recovery and environmental climatic deterioration, adding to the Goal, management, through community increasing social and economic needs objectives and development initiatives aimed at of the growing population and causing tackling social and economic issues, a general economic crisis. Agriculture implementation such as credit lending for agricultural and livestock represented the unique The development objective of the and income-generating activities, source of livelihood for more than Project, since its beginning in 1984 development of water supply facilities, 80% of the population, but the and still valid today in its core aspect, nutritional education. Country had to import more and more is to contribute to the attainment of The NGO intervention came to a cereals, mainly rice, to meet national food-security in the entire Keita conclusion in 1995. requirements. Livestock was the District and to improve livelihood Activities were planned on a yearly second source of foreign currency and conditions for rural populations, by basis. During Phase I (1984-1991), the produced 12% of the GNP. restoring the ecological balance and Project covered about 5,000 sq km Investments in agriculture were pursuing social and economic with a population of about 160,000 extremely scarce and no credit development in the area. people. During Phase II (1991-1996) system or dynamic marketing During Phase I, specific objectives the area of intervention was enlarged network existed. The Ader Doutchi were concerned mostly with the to include the and Abalak Maggia presented serious physical amelioration of the area, but districts, for a total of 12,000 sq km environmental degradation, due to in Phase II a wider approach was and 286,000 people. overpopulation and the effects of wind adopted as follows. Main activities were the following. and water erosion, which required f Restore the ecological balance in f Anti-erosion land management, that priority action be given to land the area and natural resources i.e., the rehabilitation of reclamation and soil conservation and useful for agro-sylvo-pastoral desertified lands for agricultural to activities aimed at improving purposes. and forestry use. agricultural production.

Cover photo: dune fixation; fences are made with dried millet stalks f Consolidation of dunes, stream the World Food Programme. It should control and forestation to improve be noted that the workforce has been control of water run-off. composed mainly by women f Technical, logistical and financial throughout the whole Project’s life. support of agricultural activities Phase III (1996-1999) was justified by through local assistance services. the need to strengthen and optimise f Development of basic results gained during the previous infrastructures and small phases. It mostly focused on the of an appropriate methodology for irrigation units. development of the fragile pastoral arid environments. The Project for f Strengthening of credit systems zone in the Abalak district North of the Evaluation of Environmental and marketing infrastructures for Keita, area of great importance for Conservation and Rehabilitation agricultural production. the sustainability of the ecological, Interventions (PEICRE) was f Dissemination of appropriate social and economic progress implemented from 1995 to 1997, agricultural inputs and obtained in Keita and Bouza districts. through CeSIA - Accademia dei establishment of demonstration A Transition Phase was managed Georgofili in Florence. fields to introduce innovative exclusively by Niger national staff in Activities carried out were: agricultural techniques and crops. 2000 and 2001, to conclude f establishment of a territorial outstanding works, gradually reduce database on the Project area Methods and approach adopted to the Project structure and strengthen (socio-economic, cartographic, solve the problems during this long the involvement of local communities meteorological, inventory of period proved extremely fruitful, and in the sustainable management of Project’s interventions); results were very successful: the Project’s physical achievements. f production of thematic f positive conditions for the The present “Bridge Phase” should cartography on the Project area, regeneration of the physical allow the detailed formulation of the about 5,000 sq km; environment were established, fourth and final “disengagement” f analysis of the hydrological through soil conservation on phase, which is tentatively planned to characteristics of watersheds 12,000 sq km of severely degraded last three years. Other activities are and of erosion risk; slopes and hill tops; also foreseen: strengthening f analysis of the vegetation f income-generating opportunities entrepreneurial capacities at local biomass distribution in the area; were developed, through the huge level, including promotion of women- f climatic analysis; amount of labour required for the targeted capacity-building; f multi-temporal and multi- soil conservation works, mostly development of credit and savings spectral analysis of temporal for women; networks, studies on Arab gum, evolution of the effects of f male rural migration decreased, fisheries and apiculture conservation and reclamation thanks to the development of development; re-introduction of works; processing and agro-sylvo-pastoral activities on endemic wild fauna; capacity and integration of satellite (LANDSAT recovered land; institutional building for community TM, SPOT) and aerial photos; f production and service and village associations. f development of environmental cooperatives were set-up at In order to add value to this information system on the village level. important Project, the Italian Project area; Cooperation also launched a f training of fifteen experts from All activities concerning anti-erosion complementary initiative, aimed at the Ministry of Environment and land management were carried out evaluating land conservation and other technical institutions. through the food-for-work payment reclamation works carried out by the system, with food-rations provided by Keita Project through the definition At present, Keita Project is also the site of one of the two observatories in Niger, together with Banizoumbou, of the ROSELT Initiative promoted by the and Sahel Observatory (OSS), for the establishment of a Long Term Environmental Observatories Network.

Onions are an important produce and a good source of extra income

Top of the page: building gabions for checkdams Since its beginning, the Project has Methodology also recognised the importance of and social and economic aspects in the lessons learned pursuit of sustainable development, acknowledging the notion of the The Keita Project was successful in environment as the territory where its efforts to combat human beings live and perform all desertification, through a activities useful for their livelihoods. pragmatic methodology based on Interesting to note is that, in spite of two pillars. the efforts to promote entrepreneurship among the local f A systemic territorial approach, population over a range of stemming from the concept of agricultural and soil-conservation Basic Land Unit (Unité related Income-Generating Activities Territoriale Élémentaire, UTE) (IGAs), SWC activities have had a which tackles catchment basins much stronger impact on local social as a whole, from upstream to and economic development. Reasons downstream. The accurate may lie in the obstacles opposed by initial analysis of landscape local hierarchies and power features through aerial management mechanisms to wider photographs, and continuous participation and inclusion processes efforts to improve technical at the village level, the obliged site for Bunds support crops on the glacis solutions and ameliorate their all activities except SWC. On one hand, (low potential, slightly sloping land) and trees stop soil erosion impact and sustainability, IGAs benefits did not reach the allowed the implementation of poorest and weakest groups in the soil and water conservation communities. On the other, the works targeted to the optimal promotion of larger, inter-village known to women workers, who physical scale and location. associations for the common perceived food as salary and who have At the same time, while management of natural resources has gained a strong self-esteem out of respecting environmental met with difficulties and resistance fro their participation to the SWC works. priorities, UTEs with higher a long time. population pressure were often In the Keita Project, women have These facts and observations lead to selected first for intervention. played a crucial role: physical works the following conclusions. f The use of adequate financial were carried out mainly with their f The most important social impact and logistical means, the contribution. However, due to stems from SWC activities: they results of which would be traditional customs, they have were successful - an apparently visible only in the medium term, suffered from marginalisation in all inexorable trend was reversed - to ensure the sustainability of non-SWC activities: about 26,000 and they changed people’s physical Soil and Water women worked on the construction perspectives in terms of solidarity, Conservation (SWC) works in sites, whereas no more than 350 self-esteem and self-sufficiency. the long term: heavy machinery women, mostly wives of local leaders, f Whenever development actions and thousands of person/days were reached by other actions. are nested into and limited to the work have been used, according It should be noted that the monetary village social environment, to circumstances. value of WFP rations was very well possibilities to change lie in the hands of power-holders and their impact becomes limited in space and time. Although certain actions must be conceived and implemented forcedly at village level, they have to be identified and implemented through real participatory processes and they should be integrated into larger frameworks of action, beyond the

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Women working on the SWC sites