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In Niger, farmers and herders lose nearly 100,000 hectares of land every year due to degradation. This situation reduces available space for productive activities and undermines their hopes of achieving food and nutrition sovereignty. Ongoing land degradation is a major contributor to the country’s recurring cereal and fodder shortages, exposing farming and pastoral households to repeated food crises.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting Niger in its efforts to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems to improve production, nutrition, the environment, and livelihoods, leaving no one behind. Through the Action Against Desertification programme, FAO is working to restore degraded land for agricultural and pastoral use in support of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative. This support focuses on land restoration activities, reseeding, plant care, establishing community management committees, training members in association life, management and marketing, benefit-sharing from restored sites, and networking.
In total, FAO has helped restore and utilize over 20,000 hectares of land across 55 sites in the regions of Tillabéri, Dosso, and Tahoua. The mechanical land preparation is carried out using a Delfino plough, which can cover more than 15 hectares per day. The machine carves half-moon shapes that enhance rainwater infiltration and retention, up to 1,000 litres per basin, giving trees, shrubs, and forage the best chance of growing and surviving in the early months after planting.
The Delfino tractor-plough unit has become a central tool in the collaboration between FAO and the National Agency of the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), enabling large areas to be treated and significantly reducing the need for manual labour.
Half-moons are better than those we dig by hand
At the Awanchalla site in Bagaroua, Tahoua region, communities expressed their amazement at the Delfino plough, which restored 100 hectares in a very short time in an area where labour has become increasingly scarce. “Our dream has come true, to see this land recovered by the machine. We had abandoned it for decades because it was unfit for farming or livestock. The work of the Delfino is impressive, fast, and saves us time. The half-moons it creates are better than those we dig by hand,” said Bizo Abarchi, a community member and representative of the village chief.
For fellow community member Issa Matto, the restored site offers new opportunities: “Now that the land is recovered, I no longer need to migrate. I can stay in the village. With FAO’s support, we’ll grow forage for sale, a highly profitable activity in our pastoral zone. We’ll also receive plant seedlings based on our selections, tend to them, and eventually sell the fruits. These activities expand our farming space and give me hope that my life will improve,” he said.
To ensure the site is well-managed and sustainable, “we’re determined to give our best,” said Abdoul Moumouni Djimraou, another local. “We’ve already set up a management committee. We’ve thought through the mechanisms for successful land use, marketing, benefit-sharing, working with local authorities, and managing potential conflicts between users and surrounding communities.”
Partners with the European Union
By promoting the mechanical use of the Delfino plough to restore degraded land at scale, thanks to the European Union funded project “Knowledge for Action in Implementing the Great Green Wall” (K4GGWA), FAO, together with the EU, national authorities and local communities, is helping to create the conditions for advancing the Great Green Wall in Niger and strengthening the resilience of farming and pastoral communities.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.