Communities of Northern Senegal Take Part in Agroforestry Training
19 June 2015, Edinburgh, United Kingdom - In April 2015, 50 community members of Guede, Lahel, Diarra and Moundouwaye villages of Northern Senegal took part in an Agroforestry Training conducted by CIFAL Scotland, in partnership with Le Partenariat and Gaia Education.
The training course is part of a 3 year project involving the 4 villages to increase food production and income generation in the long-term through the development of innovative farming and agroforestry activities. It will directly benefit 3,349 community members, especially women, by increasing their economic, social, and agricultural knowledge and skills. The project will develop 24 hectares of community land to efficiently produce more food and increase local people’s resilience and capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change.
The aim of the agroforestry course was to strengthen the technical capacity of community leaders in order to improve food security in drought affected regions of the country.
Agroforestry techniques combine forest culture with agricultural land in order to improve the profitability, health and diversification of the land.
Participants took part in theoretical sessions on planting, use of natural pesticides, and composting techniques before applying these skills in practical demonstrations.
The outcomes of the course were:
- beneficiaries had increased applications of agroforestry techniques
- beneficiaries learnt how to prepare their lands prior to planting
- beneficiaries developed new composting techniques.
- beneficiaries were able to use local materials to create natural pest control techniques
As a result of the training, participants were able to go back to their villages to develop communal nurseries. These areas not only provide productive land but they act as a training ground for community members to learn from participants on the course.
This project is funded through UK Aid.
Photo 1: Participants of the Agroforestry Training