Creating an EverGreen AgricultureThe Vision & The Evidence

Dennis GarrityDistinguished Board Research Fellow

World Agroforestry Centre

UN Drylands Ambassador

Perfect Storm of Challengesin the Drylands

 • Rainfall is becoming more erratic and extreme. • Temperatures are increasing, intensifying

crop stress. • Soil fertility is declining in many regions.• Inorganic fertilizers are increasingly expensive. • Population growth rates remain very high and farm sizes are rapidly declining. Farming is expanding into more marginal lands.

What is Evergreen Agriculture?

A form of more intensive farming that integrates trees into crop and livestock production systems.

Evergreen farming systems are systems that feature both perennial and annual species (food crops and trees), maintaining a green cover on the land throughout the year.

Functional Forms of EverGreen Agriculture in Cropping Systems

1. Directly increasing crop yields and stabilizing yields under drought and heat stress, while…Providing co-benefits of dry season livestock fodder, fuel wood supplies for household use and sales, or

2. Providing products of higher cash value or nutritional value than the same area occupied by food crops (Land Equivalent Ratio).

In both cases also providing additional environmental services: Soil health regeneration, Microclimatic buffering, Carbon accumulation, etc

Types of Evergreen Agriculture

1. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) on cropland

2. Conservation agriculture with trees (CAWT)

3. Conventional agriculture interplanted with trees

Refining EverGreen Agriculture to the Key Farming Systems of Africa

A Desertifying Landscape Southern Niger in the 1980s

Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration on crop fields: Initial Stages

A Parkland Renaissance on Niger farmlands

The albida halo effect

• Microclimate buffering

• Soil fertility improvement

Microclimatic variation: Temperature

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Effect of F. albida on wheat yield, biomass and dry matter according to different radius away from the tree’s canopy in Central part of Tigray (Girmay, 2013)

Trees keep Ethiopia’s wheat cool and productive CIMMYT trials

Preliminary results under F. albida in Ethiopia

•Lower temperatures under the trees

•Soil moisture increases greatly under the canopy,

•Higher Stover and grain yield under the canopy

Aerial view of a parkland dominated by Faidherbia in Niger

Farmer-managed regreening in Niger

• 5,000,000 hectares re-greened in 20 years -- no outside investment costs

-- no recurrent costs to government

• 200 million new trees established • Additional cereal production/year at least

500,000 tons• At least an additional 2.5 million people

fed; 1.25 million farm households involved• Vast increase in fodder for livestock

Major agroforestry regions in West Africa and directions of expansion

Types of Evergreen Agriculture

1. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) on cropland

2. Conservation agriculture with trees (CAWT)

3. Conventional agriculture interplanted with trees

Refining EverGreen Agriculture to the farming systems of Africa

Evergreen agriculture with Faidherbia albida in Zambia.

Faidherbia Trial Results in Zambia

Maize yield - zero fertiliser

2008 2009 2010 ----- Tons/ha -------

With Faidherbia 4.1 5.1 5.6

Without Faidherbia 1.3 2.6 2.6________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number of trials 15 40 40

DroughtDroughtFlood

P addition resumed

Long-term maize yield without fertilizer in a Gliricidia system

P stopped

Impact of fertilizer trees on maize yield under farmer management

_______________________________________

Plot management Yield (t/ha)

Maize only 1.30

Maize + fertilizer trees 3.05 ____________________________________________________________

2011 Survey of farms in six districts (Mzimba, Lilongwe, Mulanje, Salima, Thyolo and Machinga)

FaidherbiaGliricidia

Maize stubble

Faidherbia

Gliricidia

Maize

DRY SEASON

WET SEASON

Fertilizer-Fodder-Fuelwood Trees in Food Crop Production Systems

Malawi National Agroforestry Food Security Programme

Types of Evergreen Agriculture

1. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) on cropland

2. Conservation agriculture with trees (CAWT)

3. Conventional agriculture interplanted with trees

Refining EverGreen Agriculture to the farming systems of Africa

Ranawa, Burkina in 2001

Ghana and Burkina Faso are the biggest growing nations – while Mali, Benin, Nigeria and Ivory Coast also grow the Shea trees. Source: USAID via http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Cocoa-butter-equivalent-demand-rising-rapidly-says-Global-Shea-Alliance

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

African Climate Smart Alliance Vision: “25-25”

25,000,000 CSA Farmers by 2025

EverGreen Agriculture Partnership

Conclusions – Way Forward• The approach of EverGreen Agriculture 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 • The Gates Foundation could be an

instrumental partner in expanding the scope for EverGreen Agriculture in Africa

• The African CSA Alliance provides a great platform to reach 25 million farmers with EverGreen Agriculture during the coming decade