Changes to laws and regulations in Niger have seen a transformation in the landscape; benefiting farmers and the environment. An article on the website: Focus on Land in Africa, tells the story behind the transformation.

“Traditionally, farmers in Niger and across the Sahel had developed practices to ensure the sustainable use of trees and tree products,” says the article. But following colonization, laws and regulations in Niger made trees the property of the state.

Farmers had no incentive to maintain trees, so they removed them; leading to erosion, reduced soil fertility, lower yields and little resilience to drought.

Post-independence, in the early 1980s, international NGOs and donors began promoting low-cost soil and water conservation techniques combined with agroforestry. Niger’s government brought in new laws and regulations that strengthened local rights to the benefits from trees.

As a result, farmers began nurturing underground roots and tree stumps in their barren fields. Today, more than 5 million hectares of land have been revitalized by smallholder farmers. The trees that grow have enriched the soil and provide food, fodder, fuel wood and other goods. Crop yields and incomes too have increased.

Read the full story: Rights to Trees and Livelihoods in Niger

See also: The baffling simplicity of FMNR