Senegal



Programme Summary


The beginning of 2009 and the welcome rainy season allowed for great success with the project in Senegal.  Partnering organisations worked with over 200 farmers and Peace Corps volunteers in 17 villages to plant trees throughout the region of Kaffrine. Large quantities of tree seeds were also provided to Kaffrine’s Eaux et Fôret department as well as a number of local organisations for their own tree planting projects. The program also successfully expanded to the Southeast region of Kedougou where work with local farmers and Peace Corps volunteers to develop agroforestry projects was put into action.  Improvements to the agroforestry demonstration site was used to train farmers and further improve the economic prospects for communities now and in the future.


Partners Network

Groupement Jappo - Maison Familiale - Portes et Passages - The Body Shop foundation - Peace Corps Senegal - Peace Corps US


Background


Infrequent and unpredicted rainfall, infertile soils and with less than half of its forests remaining Senegal is under constant threat. Similar to many countries in Africa it confronts serious problems due to poverty and malnutrition. Over 70% of its population live in rural areas and their dependency on agriculture is paramount to livelihoods, however because of the changing climate, their situation is becoming more and more desperate.

Senegal is under constant threat from deforestation and the need for fuelwood, charcoal and construction materials, people invade the forests causing further havoc. Overgrazing, degrading topsoil, diminishing crop yields, uncontrolled slash and burn agricultural practices and peanut farming harm this once beautiful land even further. A country steeped in culture and tradition is now being gradually overtaken by The Sahelian desert.


The Response

The activities of partnering organisations are changing lives in Senegal. Agricultural practices and tree planting is taught to the locals in the form of planting trees, addressing many environmental, social, and economic problems simultaneously. With already half a million trees planted the Senegal program continues to quickly expand. Agro forestry is now being taken to the next level by additional income generating opportunities being introduced.


Degraded areas are being turned green again giving farmers much needed hope with multipurpose windbreaks, alley cropping and living fences are complimenting this incredible change around. Farmer are also seeing the benefits of integrating trees into their gardens, and forming a positive attitude towards change.


The efforts of the local NGOs, Peace Corps and the Senegalese Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, all of whom are currently using partnering organisations enabling training sites to be brought successfully together.


The rain finally arrived in Kaffrine and Kedougou in November 2009 and the farmers were able to transplant all of the seedlings in their tree nurseries. Partnering organisations worked in 27 different communities with the help of Peace Corps volunteers. Most farmers planted multi-purpose agro forestry trees as live fencing, windbreaks, and alley cropping in their fields. A number of fruit trees such as the desert date, cashews, papayas, mangos, bush mango, and moringa were planted for their economic value, as well as to improve household nutrition. In June, a couple of Peace Corps volunteers from the Gambia with their Gambian counterparts travelled to Kaffrine to learn from the projects. Agro forestry projects are being developed back home in the Northern part of the Gambia based upon the work in Senegal. In Kedougou, the work with farmers and Peace Corps volunteers in a number of different communities to plant trees in their fields took place and the demonstration site was also improved.

The rains were late this year in Kedougou, making the work with the farmers in June 2009 more difficult. Despite the challenges, partnering organisations were confident of the program’s success that year. With the help of Peace Corps volunteers, work with numerous farmers and cooperatives throughout the region continues. A strong focus is placed on planting trees in gardens along the Gambia River to decrease the erosion of rich topsoil during the rainy season.

Following a large training workshop in late February in Kaffrine, work with over 70 participating farmers to help establish and maintain their tree nurseries was undertaken. Many of the farmers were new to the program, while others had been benefiting from the work for over 5 years. This year, the primary goals of the program in Kaffrine are to reach more local farmers, increase the number of trees being planted, and improve farmers’ fields from previous years of work.