Keita Integrated Development Project
Encyclopedia
The Ader Doutchi Maggia Rural Development Project (PDR-ADM), known as Keita Project, was launched in 1983 in the framework of the Italian Initiative for the Sahel to reduce food insecurity. It become operational in 1984 and since then it has been active through three phases ended in 2006. The main objective was to increase food security
over a very large area, while combating desertification through the reduction of soil erosion
and reforestation .
A new initiative (Fond Local de Développement de l’Ader Doutchi Maggia, FLD-ADM) started in 2007 with the objective to complete existing interventions, fund local investments and transfer the management and property to local institutions and organizations.
The PDR-ADM operated in:
- reclamation of plateaux and abandoned lands in the valleys for agricultural and pastoral purposes,
- reforestation of slopes, of the koris banks and dunes,
- creation of wind breaks and forest areas,
- control of the water flow in the koris by banks consolidation and small dams.
Simultaneously, the Project has also addressed the social and economic development
by building schools, medical centres, wells and roads, and providing technical assistance and financial support for the creation of new economic activities.
The main interventions of PDR-ADM from 1984 to 2008 are shown in the table below (MAE – DGCS, 2008):
Table 1, PDR-ADM interventions until 2008
More than 20 years of soil conservation
and reclamation interventions makes Keita an open-air laboratory where it is possible to carry out studies on the environmental and socio-economic
impact of actions to fight desertification. The availability of long series of environmental data and information concerning the age and typology of intervention allows the development of specific environmental analysis and indicators based on data rather than models. This extraordinary situation gives the opportunity not only to evaluate the impacts of PDR-ADM actions but also to model the behaviour of natural vegetation (trees and herbaceous) during the recolonisation of degraded lands and foster future development and potentialities.
AGRO-ECOSYSTEM MONITORING IN KEITA
Even if the PDR-ADM focused on land management, it has not deeply considered environmental monitoring. Consequently, since 1995, many initiatives have been conceived and begun to address this monitoring deficit. CASE-Ibimet http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it institutions have been involved in Keita for 10 years. Keita has been chosen as a privileged environment in the drylands in order to answer to open problem
s in the scientific research
and development cooperation
fields:
- Are climatic changes definitive or are they the expression of cyclic phenomena?
- What kind of pressure can natural resource
s sustain in these areas? How and in how much time could the pressure be modified?
- What kind of new relationships could be created between man, the economy and the environment in the future?
- Which kinds of techniques are the most appropriate for recovering degraded environmental resources and to preserve those at risk?
- How can this recovery be achieved in an efficient and economically profitable way ? What are the sustainability guarantees of these interventions?
- How to research a veritable partnership in the delivery of rural development programs?
The initiatives of agro ecosystems monitoring carried out in Keita are:
1995-1997: the Projet d’Evaluation des Interventions de Conservation et de Récupération de l’Environnement (PEICRE) - Italian Cooperation – builds an Information System
on Keita in order to evaluate and to monitor the interventions.
1997: Keita is identified by ROSELT http://www.oss-online.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=368 (Réseau d’Observatoires et de Surveillance Ecologique à Long Terme) as one of the priority places in Niger for desertification monitoring.
1999-2000: realization of an Information System to Sustain Evaluation Analysis and Planning; FAO-Italian Cooperation-CeSIA.
2001: launching of Keita Observatory through the Projet d'Appui à la Formation et d'Assistance en Gestion de l’Environnement (PAFAGE)http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/pafage/index.php financed by Italian Cooperation http://www.cooperazioneallosviluppo.esteri.it/pdgcs/.
2002: IBIMET-CNR studies in the context of three United Nation major conventions (UNCCD-UNCBD-UNFCCC), about Keita potentiality in the carbon sequestration
http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/keita-niger/data/file/keita_brochure.pdf.
2006 : Launching of KeitaLABhttp://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/keita-niger/index.php by IBIMET-CNRhttp://www.ibimet.cnr.it, FCS and Politecnico di Torinohttp://www2.polito.it/ricerca/cctm/ in collaboration with the PDL-ADM.
Agro-ecosystem dynamics
The impact of PDR-ADM interventions on the environment has been monitored by a multi- temporal analysis of land cover. Changes in land cover are the result of synergies of different factors (climate changes, interventions of PDR-ADM and demographic pressure). The environmental status before the beginning of the project testifies the negative impact of climate and anthropic pressure on the ecosystems. In 1962, the slopes of the highlands were forested but in 1972 some signs of degradation started to be evident until the 1984 when the forest completely disappeared. Between 1984 and 2002, a progressive recovery of the natural vegetation has appeared
Approximately, the diachronic land cover study shows that between 1984 and 2002 woodlands increased more than 300% (10.000 ha in 1984 to 45.000 ha in 2002) against a reduction in the shrubby steppes of the 30%. This tendency is supported, besides the PDR-ADM intervention, also by the progressive increase of rainfall, which was recorded as from the years '90.
Even if the same dynamics are observed in the entire Sahelian part of Niger, this trend has only reached such results in Keita, because of the PDR-ADM intervention and the control of the human pressure on natural resources. In addition to wooden natural vegetation recovery, there has also been an evident increase of agricultural surfaces (about 80%) resulting of the substitution of large grassland areas (decreased about 70%) and of PDR-ADM land reclamation
interventions (about 12.000 ha). These data confirms that the tendency of natural vegetation recolonisation is reduced by the increase of the human pressure.
Particularly, valley and glacis are exposed to higher agriculture pressure and the trend is to the extensification of croplands. This happens in three ways: the first one, by restoration of degraded lands; the second is by reclamation of grasslands and the last one by clearing of woody vegetation. The first method, supported by the PDR-ADM, concerns the slopes of the Keita valley and also the sandy dunes of the eastern plateaux. Land reclamation of grasslands has been pushed by demographic pressure especially in the Keita and Insafari valleys. Woody vegetation clearing happens especially in the secondary valleys where demographic pressure was low before 1984 and strongly increased later. On the other hand, woody vegetation restoration interests large areas on the slopes and also in the valleys as gallery forests. This trend on the slopes is particularly interesting where it is not directly due to Project interventions (plantation in trenches), because it shows the effectiveness of the watershed approach and the water management
on plateaux and slopes.
Croplands degradation is also observed, due mostly to wind erosion
and sand accumulation. It gives evidence to the fact desertification is still active even if PDR-ADM interventions reduced its effects. In this context, the territory monitoring in the aspects that could indicate a reactivation of the desertification is very important, especially in this phase where the environment is slowly recovering equilibrium.
Improvement of land productivity
The pressure derived from the population growth is nowadays one of the main desertification factors, as consequence the classic environmental approach to fight desertification is doomed to fail if it is not joined with actions aimed to reduce the pressure through the creation and diversification of sources of income for the population.
The productivity is assessed considering the main products contributing to population livelihood: agriculture, forestry, and livestock. Regarding agriculture, only rain-fed cereals have been considered. Concerning plantations, only the bloc ones as tranchées and banquettes are analysed.
In 2003 the whole project area produced about 40.000 tons of wood compared to 1984 production of about 17.000 tons, with a variation of 133%. The availability of leaf biomass is also increased, about of 57%.
In 1984, cereals production was about 39.000 tons while in 2003 it reached 55.000 tons . Vis-à-vis with these variations, the pressure on the natural resources also strongly increased generally more than productions, as demonstrate by population and livestock growth about 50% during the period.
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
over a very large area, while combating desertification through the reduction of soil erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and reforestation .
A new initiative (Fond Local de Développement de l’Ader Doutchi Maggia, FLD-ADM) started in 2007 with the objective to complete existing interventions, fund local investments and transfer the management and property to local institutions and organizations.
The PDR-ADM operated in:
- reclamation of plateaux and abandoned lands in the valleys for agricultural and pastoral purposes,
- reforestation of slopes, of the koris banks and dunes,
- creation of wind breaks and forest areas,
- control of the water flow in the koris by banks consolidation and small dams.
Simultaneously, the Project has also addressed the social and economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
by building schools, medical centres, wells and roads, and providing technical assistance and financial support for the creation of new economic activities.
The main interventions of PDR-ADM from 1984 to 2008 are shown in the table below (MAE – DGCS, 2008):
Table 1, PDR-ADM interventions until 2008
| INTERVENTIONS | |
|---|---|
| RECLAMATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL AND PASTURE LANDS, REFORESTATION AND DUNE FIXATION | 34,483 HA |
| TREES PLANTED | 20,000,000 |
| ROAD CONSTRUCTION | 316 km |
| DRILLED WELLS | 4 |
| SMALL DAMS | 43 |
| DAMS | 2 |
| WEIRS | 288 |
| RURAL BUILDINGS | 28,000 M2 |
More than 20 years of soil conservation
Soil conservation
Soil conservation is a set of management strategies for prevention of soil being eroded from the Earth’s surface or becoming chemically altered by overuse, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination...
and reclamation interventions makes Keita an open-air laboratory where it is possible to carry out studies on the environmental and socio-economic
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
impact of actions to fight desertification. The availability of long series of environmental data and information concerning the age and typology of intervention allows the development of specific environmental analysis and indicators based on data rather than models. This extraordinary situation gives the opportunity not only to evaluate the impacts of PDR-ADM actions but also to model the behaviour of natural vegetation (trees and herbaceous) during the recolonisation of degraded lands and foster future development and potentialities.
AGRO-ECOSYSTEM MONITORING IN KEITA
Even if the PDR-ADM focused on land management, it has not deeply considered environmental monitoring. Consequently, since 1995, many initiatives have been conceived and begun to address this monitoring deficit. CASE-Ibimet http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it institutions have been involved in Keita for 10 years. Keita has been chosen as a privileged environment in the drylands in order to answer to open problem
Open problem
In science and mathematics, an open problem or an open question is a known problem that can be accurately stated, and has not yet been solved . Some questions remain unanswered for centuries before solutions are found...
s in the scientific research
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
and development cooperation
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
fields:
- Are climatic changes definitive or are they the expression of cyclic phenomena?
- What kind of pressure can natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
s sustain in these areas? How and in how much time could the pressure be modified?
- What kind of new relationships could be created between man, the economy and the environment in the future?
- Which kinds of techniques are the most appropriate for recovering degraded environmental resources and to preserve those at risk?
- How can this recovery be achieved in an efficient and economically profitable way ? What are the sustainability guarantees of these interventions?
- How to research a veritable partnership in the delivery of rural development programs?
The initiatives of agro ecosystems monitoring carried out in Keita are:
1995-1997: the Projet d’Evaluation des Interventions de Conservation et de Récupération de l’Environnement (PEICRE) - Italian Cooperation – builds an Information System
Information system
An information system - or application landscape - is any combination of information technology and people's activities that support operations, management, and decision making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people,...
on Keita in order to evaluate and to monitor the interventions.
1997: Keita is identified by ROSELT http://www.oss-online.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=368 (Réseau d’Observatoires et de Surveillance Ecologique à Long Terme) as one of the priority places in Niger for desertification monitoring.
1999-2000: realization of an Information System to Sustain Evaluation Analysis and Planning; FAO-Italian Cooperation-CeSIA.
2001: launching of Keita Observatory through the Projet d'Appui à la Formation et d'Assistance en Gestion de l’Environnement (PAFAGE)http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/pafage/index.php financed by Italian Cooperation http://www.cooperazioneallosviluppo.esteri.it/pdgcs/.
2002: IBIMET-CNR studies in the context of three United Nation major conventions (UNCCD-UNCBD-UNFCCC), about Keita potentiality in the carbon sequestration
Carbon dioxide sink
A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period. The process by which carbon sinks remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration...
http://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/keita-niger/data/file/keita_brochure.pdf.
2006 : Launching of KeitaLABhttp://www.case.ibimet.cnr.it/keita-niger/index.php by IBIMET-CNRhttp://www.ibimet.cnr.it, FCS and Politecnico di Torinohttp://www2.polito.it/ricerca/cctm/ in collaboration with the PDL-ADM.
Agro-ecosystem dynamics
The impact of PDR-ADM interventions on the environment has been monitored by a multi- temporal analysis of land cover. Changes in land cover are the result of synergies of different factors (climate changes, interventions of PDR-ADM and demographic pressure). The environmental status before the beginning of the project testifies the negative impact of climate and anthropic pressure on the ecosystems. In 1962, the slopes of the highlands were forested but in 1972 some signs of degradation started to be evident until the 1984 when the forest completely disappeared. Between 1984 and 2002, a progressive recovery of the natural vegetation has appeared
Approximately, the diachronic land cover study shows that between 1984 and 2002 woodlands increased more than 300% (10.000 ha in 1984 to 45.000 ha in 2002) against a reduction in the shrubby steppes of the 30%. This tendency is supported, besides the PDR-ADM intervention, also by the progressive increase of rainfall, which was recorded as from the years '90.
Even if the same dynamics are observed in the entire Sahelian part of Niger, this trend has only reached such results in Keita, because of the PDR-ADM intervention and the control of the human pressure on natural resources. In addition to wooden natural vegetation recovery, there has also been an evident increase of agricultural surfaces (about 80%) resulting of the substitution of large grassland areas (decreased about 70%) and of PDR-ADM land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
interventions (about 12.000 ha). These data confirms that the tendency of natural vegetation recolonisation is reduced by the increase of the human pressure.
Particularly, valley and glacis are exposed to higher agriculture pressure and the trend is to the extensification of croplands. This happens in three ways: the first one, by restoration of degraded lands; the second is by reclamation of grasslands and the last one by clearing of woody vegetation. The first method, supported by the PDR-ADM, concerns the slopes of the Keita valley and also the sandy dunes of the eastern plateaux. Land reclamation of grasslands has been pushed by demographic pressure especially in the Keita and Insafari valleys. Woody vegetation clearing happens especially in the secondary valleys where demographic pressure was low before 1984 and strongly increased later. On the other hand, woody vegetation restoration interests large areas on the slopes and also in the valleys as gallery forests. This trend on the slopes is particularly interesting where it is not directly due to Project interventions (plantation in trenches), because it shows the effectiveness of the watershed approach and the water management
Water management
Water management is the activity of planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources. In an ideal world. water management planning has regard to all the competing demands for water and seeks to allocate water on an equitable basis to satisfy all uses and demands...
on plateaux and slopes.
Croplands degradation is also observed, due mostly to wind erosion
Eolian processes
Aeolian processes pertain to the activity of the winds and more specifically, to the winds' ability to shape the surface of the Earth and other planets. Winds may erode, transport, and deposit materials, and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation and a large supply of...
and sand accumulation. It gives evidence to the fact desertification is still active even if PDR-ADM interventions reduced its effects. In this context, the territory monitoring in the aspects that could indicate a reactivation of the desertification is very important, especially in this phase where the environment is slowly recovering equilibrium.
Improvement of land productivity
The pressure derived from the population growth is nowadays one of the main desertification factors, as consequence the classic environmental approach to fight desertification is doomed to fail if it is not joined with actions aimed to reduce the pressure through the creation and diversification of sources of income for the population.
The productivity is assessed considering the main products contributing to population livelihood: agriculture, forestry, and livestock. Regarding agriculture, only rain-fed cereals have been considered. Concerning plantations, only the bloc ones as tranchées and banquettes are analysed.
In 2003 the whole project area produced about 40.000 tons of wood compared to 1984 production of about 17.000 tons, with a variation of 133%. The availability of leaf biomass is also increased, about of 57%.
In 1984, cereals production was about 39.000 tons while in 2003 it reached 55.000 tons . Vis-à-vis with these variations, the pressure on the natural resources also strongly increased generally more than productions, as demonstrate by population and livestock growth about 50% during the period.