Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Applying the Research in Development Approach
to Scale Restoration
Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Fergus Sinclair, Patrice Savadogo, Christine Magaju, Mary
Crossland John Nyaga, Anne Kuria, Ibrahim Ochenje, and the team 2 September 2019

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Land degradation threatens the livelihoods, food and nutrition security of the poorest, most
vulnerable smallholder farmers and pastoralists in Africa.
Photo: Joakim Vågen

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Land Degradation II
As a result, migration is
accelerating, with an estimated 60
million people in Sub-Saharan Africa
at risk of being displaced by
desertification and land degradation
by 2050.
Map on the right shows hotspots of
physical degradation – soil
compaction at 500m resolution.

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Restoration Options
Agroforestry and related options
have been successful in reversing
land degradation in many countries.
The challenge now is to scale
options with farmers to ensure
sustainability to restore large areas.
© Savadogo

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Employing the Research ‘in’ Development approach to engage with
farmers, development partners and programmes to accelerate
learning and impact
Key elements of Research in Development
include:
- locally adapted practice for the social,
ecological and economic context
- development of appropriate service
delivery mechanisms
- embedding research design into
development project upon inception
”Evidence suggests that this will not be achieved by wide scale promotion of a few iconic agroforestry practices”
- Coe, Sinclair, Barrios, 2014. Scaling up agroforestry requires research ‘in’ rather than ‘for’ development.
Closing the learning loop between scientists, development actors, farmers and
other stakeholders with nested communities of practice.

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
High level of farmer participation while working across large areas

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
How to massively scale knowledge
intensive and locally adapted
options?

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
• Fill information gaps around the viability of the option
• Comparing options within farm, between farms, between communities
• Participatory design process to combine farmer and scientific knowledge
• Real-time monitoring of the options
Abdrahamane Hayo in Zinder,
Niger, millet harvest in FMNR
Grafting of improved Ziziphus spp. in
Mali within FMNR systems
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/project/restoration-degraded-land-food-security-and-poverty-reduction-east-africa-and-sahel-taking
Implementing on-farm planned comparisons
with farmers and development partners
David of Kavete village, Kitui County,
Kenya showing improved maize yield in
2*2 ft planting basins (left).

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Implementing (and monitoring) a range of land restoration
options with development partners

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Results: Monitoring options using electronic data collection
alongside farmer feedback sessions
• In Machakos, Makueni, Kitui counties, Kenya
– Increased tree cover with > 30,000 seedlings of
seven tree species planted in home gardens,
croplands and terraces
• ~2000 households engaged in Agroforestry/Tree Planting
Planned Comparison
– 1000 ha with improved soil water conservation
through planting basins
• Increased yields 2-5 times for legumes and cereals
• >600 households engaged in planting basins planned
comparison, comparing planting basin size, manure
application
• In Mali
– Restored 2220 ha of agricultural land through
Agroforestry (FMNR, planting trees on
agricultural land)
• Use of fertilizer microdose and earth banks doubled crop
yields and increased household incomes by 40%.
• Enrichment planting with ~ 2000 households
– Restored and enriched 2668 ha of rangeland
pastures with the introduction of herbaceous and
woody forage species for livestock production
Earth bund w/ vegetation, Mali
Planting basins Kenya
Maize in planting basins, Kenya
Density plots of maize grain yield in MAM
2018 season in different sized planting basins
(1*1, 2*2, 3*3, 6*2 ft) in each county – note
the high variability.
In the driest county, 6*2 ft
outperformed
2*2 and 3*3 outperformed
farmer practice
2*2 and 3*3 ft
outperformed fp
Note the low variability
with the 1*1 ft

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Applying the Research in Development approach can
contribute to reaching restoration goals and achieve LDN
• AFR100 Commitments:
– Kenya – 5.1 million ha
– Niger – 3.2 million ha
– Ethiopia – 15 million ha
– Tanzania – 5.2 million ha
• Within the project, over 10,000 farming
households (50,000 direct beneficiaries)
continue to evaluate land restoration
options on their farms.
• This represents a key change in the way
development initiatives are implemented,
giving a larger role to farmers in selecting
and adapting options for scaling.
• Evaluating performance, allows for
quantitative monitoring of impact.
Mapping and tracking of LDN indicators, including vegetation
cover (above) and soil organic carbon (SOC) to measure the
impact of the interventions.

Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
World Agroforestry (ICRAF),
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri,
P.O Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 20 722 4000
Fax: +254 20 722 4001
Email: icraf@cgiar.org
Website: www.worldagroforestry.org
Thank you!
Leigh Ann Winowiecki L.A.Winowiecki@cgiar.org
Fergus Sinclair f.sinclair@cgiar.org
Project webpage:
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/project/restorat
ion-degraded-land-food-security-and-poverty-
reduction-east-africa-and-sahel-taking
Project Evaluation (Brochure): http://bit.ly/2ZAVlrd
Project Evaluation (Full report): https://bit.ly/2zuyRNX