Assessing the constraints for adopting water and soil conservation techniques in Tillaberí, Niger

Nigerien subsistence farmers increasingly rely on marginal degraded lands for food production as a result of ongoing soil degradation, limited fertile land availability and growing population pressure. These degraded lands, however, generally provide poor yields which are largely assigned to an increased vulnerability to drought as a major part of the rainfall is lost through inefficient partitioning. More efficient use of rainwater can be achieved with the aid of water and soil conservation (WSC) techniques which positively alter the soil water-balance in favour of productive water. In Niger, the zaï and demi-lunes WSC techniques improve yields and deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, but their adoption has not been widespread and the dissemination generally encounters difficulties. To identify and quantify the importance and presence of several adoption obstacles in the Tillabéri region, we conducted 100 households surveys exploring farmers’ erosion perception, WSC technique knowledge and resource availability.Although the important adoption triggers such as food insecurity and limited fertile land availability are present, the regions’ adoption rate is low due to a general lack of manure availability and a profound knowledge of erosion and the techniques themselves, which indicates the need for an efficient and specialised policy focusing on more than yield increase alone. Most farmers have little awareness of erosion causes and effects and therefore do not relate WSC techniques to the indirect benefits for their livelihoods such as re-greening and the prevention of flooding, which are to be taken into account to secure sustainable solutions to drought and food insecurity.Nigerien subsistence farmers increasingly rely on marginal degraded lands for food production as a result of ongoing soil degradation, limited fertile land availability and growing population pressure. These degraded lands, however, generally provide poor yields which are largely assigned to an increased vulnerability to drought as a major part of the rainfall is lost through inefficient partitioning. More efficient use of rainwater can be achieved with the aid of water and soil conservation (WSC) techniques which positively alter the soil water-balance in favour of productive water. In Niger, the zaï and demi-lunes WSC techniques improve yields and deliver a wide range of ecosystem services, but their adoption has not been widespread and the dissemination generally encounters difficulties. To identify and quantify the importance and presence of several adoption obstacles in the Tillabéri region, we conducted 100 households surveys exploring farmers’ erosion perception, WSC technique knowledge and resource availability.Although the important adoption triggers such as food insecurity and limited fertile land availability are present, the regions’ adoption rate is low due to a general lack of manure availability and a profound knowledge of erosion and the techniques themselves, which indicates the need for an efficient and specialised policy focusing on more than yield increase alone. Most farmers have little awareness of erosion causes and effects and therefore do not relate WSC techniques to the indirect benefits for their livelihoods such as re-greening and the prevention of flooding, which are to be taken into account to secure sustainable solutions to drought and food insecurity.C