Landscape approach - 20 years of watershed management in Niger
1. Government of
Niger
Landscape approach
20 years of watershed management in Niger
Global Landscape Forum
Warsaw 16 / 17 November 2013
Dieter Nill, Martina Wegner, Klaus
Ackermann
2. Territorial concept and landscape approach
• Territory: as spatially cohesive area.
• Boundaries depend on the development potential.
Economic
activities
Climate change
Social
setting
Institutional
setting
Natural
resources
4. Example: 20 years of watershed management in Niger
Context
Population growth and severe land degradation.
Higher temperatures, declining and less reliable rainfall, severe
droughts since 1970s.
Programme
Funding BMZ, implemented by GIZ / KfW /
Government.
Between early 90ies and 2010, more than
400,000 ha treated with SWC at a rhythm of
20.000 ha/year.
More than 200 water-spreading weirs with >
10.000 ha with flood irrigation
Large scale impacts possible.
5. Techniques
• Water
spreading
weirs
600–1,500 €/ha
• Stonebunds
• Planting pits
30 – 45 €/ha
40-90% contrib.
• Trenches
• Dykes
• Stonebunds
• Nardi trenches
• (Half-moons)
130 €/ha
55 % contrib.
Cost-efficient and effective integrated solutions are available with
7. Work approach
Programme support only after active request and approval.
Rolling approach to work with about 100 villages in parallel.
Year 1: organizing population, training, pilot activities.
Years 2 to 5: Intensive implementation.
Years 5 and 6: Progressive shift of responsibilities to the
communities. End of support autonomy.
Population provides: free labour, local
materials and maintenance.
Programme provides: training, basic tools
and material, trucks and tractors.
People and programme need time to treat
land.
8. Important results
Plateaus:
• Yields of herbaceous biomass from ~ 0 to 600/700 kg/ha*yr.
• Production of wood generally around 1 stere/ha*yr.
• Improved biodiversity and protection of lower areas.
Fields:
• Increased / more stable yields i.e. millet > x 2 (200 kg/ha*yr more).
• Straw increased by x 1.6 (520 kg/ha*yr more).
Valleys:
• Increase of millet yields x 2 and increase of production x 5.8
• Strong increase in vegetable production, employment and income
• Heightening of groundwater levels
Significant positive effects on food security and stability, income,
ecology and living conditions.
9. Drivers and challenges
Economic
activities
Social
setting
External influences
Institutional
setting
Natural
resources
1990
2010
2000
Technical innovation
Conceptual changes / decentralisation
Institutional changes
Climate change
Demography
Especially external challenges create risks and opportunities.
10. Conclusions
Landscape approaches offer multiple benefits:
• A powerful and low-cost concept to improve food security and incomes;
• They have positive environmental effects i.e. on biodiversity and water
cycle;
• Very suitable to mainstream CC adaptation and mitigation;
• They have large scale impact potential;
• They improve governance in rural areas by implying all stakeholders
and integrate know-how across sectors;
• They mobilise and strengthen the local population;
11. Requirements / succces factors
Successful landscape approaches need:
• A participatory, bottom-up approach with involvement of all stakeholders;
• A multi-level approach seeking favorable policy and legal frame works at
macro-level to strongy implement at meso- and micro-level;
• Medium- to long-term implementation, which requires a strong political
will;
• Suitable medium- to long-term funding mechanisms;
• Food availability per capita only improved if population growth not too
high.