?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Foar.icrisat.org%2F10754%2F&rft.title=Restoration+of+Degraded+Lands+in+West+Africa+Sahel%3A+Review+of+experiences+in+Burkina+Faso+and+Niger&rft.creator=Bado%2C+B+V&rft.creator=Savadogo%2C+P&rft.creator=Manzo%2C+M+L+S&rft.subject=Burkina+Faso&rft.subject=Drylands+Agriculture&rft.subject=African+Agriculture&rft.subject=Sahel+Region&rft.subject=West+Africa&rft.subject=Niger&rft.description=This+is+a+comprehensive+literature+review+of+land+restoration+activities+in+West+Africa+Sahel.+Water+constraints+and+the+inherent+soil+poverty+are+the+major+factors+that+limit+crop+yields+and+productivity+of+cropping+systems+in+West+Africa+Sahel+(WAS).+Livestock+is+not+well+integrated+with+agricultural+activities+and+crop+residues+are+usually+exported+from+the+farm+for+household+needs+and+animal+feeding.+In+traditional+systems%2C+soil+fertility+maintenance+was+based+on+a+relatively+long+fallow+period+(10-15+years)+followed+by+a+short+cropping+period+of+3+to+5+years.+But+the+increased+population+pressure+has+resulted+in+significant+changes+of+the+traditional+bushfallow+system.+Lands+are+now+continuously+cultivated+for+long+period+with+low+external+inputs%2C+leading+to+soil+fertility+decline+over+time+(Bationo+and+Mokwunye+1991%3B+Bekunda+et+al.+2010).+In+addition+to+biophysical+aspects%2C+a+wide+range+of+socio-economic+factors+such+as+the+low+financial+capacities+of+poor+farmers+to+invest+in+agricultural+inputs%2C+high+pressure+on+ecological+resources+for+food%2C+fodder+or+energy%2C+also+add+to+the+stress+on+the+systems.+Failure+by+the+smallholder+farmers+to+intensify+agricultural+production+in+a+manner+that+maintains+soil+productivity+is+the+main+cause+of+land+degradation%2C+particularly+in+the+fragile+ecosystems+of+WAS.+Land+degradation+is+defined+as+a+process+that+leads+to+the+reduction+of+land+productivity+for+useful+purposes%2C+and+is+typically+a+result+of+soil%2C+wind%2C+or+water+erosion%3B+soil+salinization%3B+waterlogging%3B+chemical+deterioration%3B+or+any+combination+of+these+factors+(Adeel+2003).+Land+degradation+is+a+global+problem%2C+particularly+in+the+dry+areas%2C+home+to+a+large+population+of+poor+farmers%2C+where+land+degradation+and+water+scarcity+are+major+threats+to+food+security.+The+impacts+of+land+degradation+are+severe+on+both+human+society+and+ecosystems.+Desertification+is+often+wrongly+attributed+solely+to+droughts%2C+but+it+is+the+deadly+combination+of+continued+land+abuse+during+periods+of+deficient+rainfall+that+results+in+unproductive+land%2C+and+ultimately+desertification+(UNESCO+2003).+Combating+desertification+by+rehabilitating+degraded+lands+can+be+done+successfully%2C+using+existing%2C+often+traditional+techniques.+Land+restoration+involves+restoring+the+fertility+of+degraded+lands.+The+social+syndrome+where+diminishing+availability+of+lands%2C+inherent+low+fertility%2C+continuous+soil+erosion%2C+and+continuous+nutrient+removal+without+replenishment%2C+results+in+a+spiraling+downfall+in+productive+capacity+and+a+diminished+resilience+of+the+soil+system+to+provide+a+suitable+medium+for+crop+growth+needs+to+be+addressed.+Smallholder+farmers+are+at+the+center+of+both+soil+fertility+decline+and+restoration+process.+Their+decisions+to+manage%2C+to+utilize+technologies+and+to+improve+or+restore+soil+fertility+are+guided+by+the+socioeconomic+conditions+and+the+overall+benefits+that+will+accrue+from+production+(Sanginga+and+Woomer%2C+2009%3B+Bekunda+et+al.+2010).+A+sustainable+management+of+lands+under+cultivation+and+the+restoration+of+degraded+lands+could+be+achieved+by+affordable+strategic+management+innovations%3B+taking+into+account+the+socioeconomic+conditions+of+farmers.+While+individual+technologies+can+contribute%3B+a+more+integrated+systems+that+combines+technologies%2C+crops%2C+and+trees+such+as+the+agroforestry+systems+could+better+contribute+for+sustainable+management+of+natural+resources.+Many+efforts+have+been+invested+to+developing+strategies+and+approaches+for+both+sustainable+management+of+natural+resources+and+restoration+of+degraded+lands+in+WAS.+In+some+cases%2C+farmer+communities+have+developed+sound%2C+sustainable+approaches+to+land+rehabilitation+and+management+but+there+is+insufficient+information+on+successful+restoration+in+the+context+of+WAS%2C+particular+with+regards+to+policy%2C+institutions+and+socioeconomic+conditions+under+which+specific+approaches+could+be+adapted+and+applied+successfully+(Bunning+2003).+The+main+objective+of+this+review+was+to+investigate+the+main+experiences+of+regenerating+degraded+landscapes+(RDL)+in+Niger.+Going+through+the+documentation%2C+we+found+many+similarities+in+experiences+across+the+two+countries+of+Niger+and+Burkina.+Some+interesting+experiences+were+found+in+Burkina%2C+Niger+or+at+the+same+time+in+the+two+countries.+We+finally+decided+to+extend+the+review+to+the+two+countries+as+a+representative+zone+of+the+WAS.+The+critical+issue+in+taking+restoration+to+scale+is+that+ecological%2C+economic+and+institutional+context+varies+at+fine+scales.+The+main+goal+of+this+review+is+to+identify+the+specificities+and+the+context+of+the+most+efficient+experiences+of+RDL+that+could+be+widely+scaled+in+the+WAS.&rft.publisher=ICRISAT&rft.date=2016&rft.type=Monograph&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Foar.icrisat.org%2F10754%2F1%2FNiger_Experiences%2520in%2520Regeneration%2520of%2520Degraded%2520Lands_ICRISAT_2016_uploaded.pdf&rft.identifier=++Bado%2C+B+V+and+Savadogo%2C+P+and+Manzo%2C+M+L+S++(2016)+Restoration+of+Degraded+Lands+in+West+Africa+Sahel%3A+Review+of+experiences+in+Burkina+Faso+and+Niger.++Technical+Report.+ICRISAT.+++++