Biakoye District

hectares of forest through a series of best practice Natural Resource Management (NRM) techniques, planting of indigenous tree species, and building the capacity of local communities and authorities to effectively manage the two forests.

The project also supported the communities to set up small-scale enterprises (known as Village Tree Enterprises) to improve livelihoods and increase incomes, focusing primarily on Gari processing and honey value chains.

Project Highlights:

• 708 farmers participated in NRM training and were supported to implement these techniques across the 11 beneficiary communities.
• Over 10,000 new trees were planted and 4,000 trees restored using the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration technique to promote tree growth from tree stumps and shrubs.
• Soil and water conservation restored 100 hectares of degraded forestland, using stone bunds to reduce water runoff and zai pits to improve soil fertility.
• 32 km of firebreaks were established around restored areas to stop the destruction of existing forests and new trees.
• The capacity of stakeholders (district authorities, technical services, and communities) was strengthened to manage the forests in a more equitable way. This included a decentralized decision-making process that promotes the rights and responsibilities of local forest users and communities that depend on the forests.
• A forest dialogue group and a steering committee involving all local stakeholders were set up for each forest. This provides an open forum for discussion and addresses any conflict over forest use.
• 7 Village Tree Enterprise (VTE) groups, based on Gari and Honey, were set up. They received organizational and technical support to improve production processes, product quality, and business and financial skills.