The DryDev programme aimed to transform lives and landscapes in dryland areas through sustainable rural development. Over six years, it worked with over 164,000 smallholder farmers across five countries in Africa. Key achievements included rehabilitating over 163,000 hectares of land through watershed management and planting over 4.6 million trees. It also increased food security and incomes by expanding irrigation to over 16,000 hectares, utilizing over 950 water harvesting structures, and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices on over 60,000 hectares.

1. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Phosiso Sola, PhD; World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
And DryDev Team
Dryland Development Programme (DryDev)
Close out Webinar
30th June 2020

2. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
The programme
• Six-year initiative (August 2013 to July 2019) funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MoFA) of the Netherlands and World Vision Australia (WVA).
• The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is the overall implementing agency working
with a Consortium of 21 NGOs
Country National Lead Organization Implementing Partners
Burkina Faso ICRAF (Reseau Marp) SNV; Tree Aid
Ethiopia World Vision EOC/DICAC; REST
Kenya World Vision SNV; CARITAS; ADRA
Mali Sahel Eco OXFAM; AMEDD; AMEPPE
Niger Care International OXFAM; World Vision; KARKARA; AREN; RAIL; CRESA

3. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
The programme
Vision: Households residing in arid and semi arid areas
have transitioned from subsistence farming and
emergency aid to sustainable rural development
• Through increasing food and water security, enhancing
market access, and strengthening the local economy for
different categories of farmers.
• Implemented in 110 sites across 5 countries
• Informed by farmer priorities
• Site based integration and saturation of
interventions
• Scaling up what works

4. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
The journey
Inception Phase
(Aug 2013 – March 2015)
Implementation Phase
New theory of
change
New
programming
frame
Limited field
contact
Bridge phase
(April –June 2015
Programme full swing
A lot of technical
support to partners
and farmers
Planned comparison
roll out
>70% on
development targets
Re-launch
June –Dec 2015
2016 to June 2018
Design Phase
Partner selection
County business plans
developed
Implementation quick
wins
Less coordinated
approach
Programme
approval July
New
contracting
process
Integration of
research
Field work in
October
Consolidation and
Exit Phase
Programme full swing
Reduced technical
support to partners
and farmers
Conclusion of planned
comparison
Scaling activities
>80 % on
development targets
July 2018 –June
2019
Development activities
Action research activities

5. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Options by Context approach
Learning /research
priorities
Yes
Implement using
current practice /as
recommended
No
• Is there something the farmers and team are not absolutely
confident about the selected options with regards to i) applicability
(where does it work best), ii) application (how is it implemented)
and, iii) effectiveness (where and when does it give desired
outcomes)?
• Are there differing opinions among i) farmers, ii) extension/
technical experts, and iii) between farmers and technical experts ?
• Is there another way of implementing the option?
Prioritized
Options
Identification
of options
Vision
setting
Community
engagement
and team
preparation
Basis for the programme implementation plans
Core values
1. Bottom-up farmer-led approach
2. Leveraging strategic partnerships
3. Integration on site

6. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Number of farmers reached
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Numberoffarmers
Year
Total Women
41,772 43,922
35,363
46,437
52,200
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Numberoffarmersreached
Country
Farmers reached, by 2019
Total Women
49%
97%

7. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Number of farmers reached
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Numberoffarmersreached
Year
Sub-catchment management On-farm Water & Soil management
Climate Smart Agriculture Enhancing Market Access
Financial services linking Local governance &institutional strengthening
Planning, monitoring and learning

8. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Overview of achievements
Outcome 1: Increased water capture & soil conservation/ fertility at
sub catchment & farm levels

9. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Improved natural resources management in sub catchments
Burkina Faso Ethiopia Kenya Mali Niger Total
Number engaged 41,772 43,922 20,509 46,437 12,169 164,809
Number engaged women 22,379 16,690 9,199 20,328 5,905 74,501
Area managed using improved NRM
practices (ha)
21,087.8 50,711 13,472 27,558 50,917 163,745.55
Average per person (ha) 0.50 1.15 0.66 0.59 4.18 0.99
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Landarea(ha)
Numberofpeople
Year
Total people engaged Women engaged
Area rehabilitated (ha)
• National watershed management
strategy facilitated work in
Ethiopia
• Private land holding delayed work
in Kenya
• Long standing history of FMNR
catalysed work in Niger

10. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Burkina Faso Niger
Almost 100,000 ha of land rehabilitated in agro-pastoral areas of Sahel countries
Mali

11. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Watershed rehabilitation, Tseda Emba -Ethiopia
Rain water harvesting upland
Reclaimed and productive lands
Productive lands downstream

12. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Rehabilitation of riverine land in Kyon SBV -Burkina
Goundo river: rehabilitation of 20
ha of riverine land to support
24,000 users agro-sylvo-pastoralists

13. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Kenya, Machakos, Ndivuni:
Rehabilitation of land through trenches, seed balling, FMNR
Rehabilitated land improved
fodder, bee keeping
Sand dam: Improved water security for 900 HHs
and over 13,550 livestock and micro irrigation

14. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Improved grazing management for increased productivity Samre in Ethiopia
free-grazing regime causing
severe erosion and floods
Introduced cut and carry system
• Improved on 42 ha through grass
seeding
• Serves as a water recharge zone, ground
water for irrigation and livestock
• Improved milk production per cow more
than two-fold

15. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
• Grass reseeding on 261 ha by
111 women for goat breed
improvement
• Cross-breeding of 127 Small
East African Goat (SEG) giving
315 Filial Generation1 (F1)
Galla-SEG off-springs in 18
months
• Galla-SEG sold at USD150
instead of USD40 for the small
local SEG
Rehabilitation of denuded lands for fodder production in Makueni County, Kenya

16. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Tree planting
Burkina Faso Ethiopia Kenya Mali Niger Total
Trees planted 328,332 3,320,895 164,658 182,211 629,782 4,625,878
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Numberoftreesplanted
Year
• 72% of trees
planted in Ethiopia
• survival improved
through mulching
and watering

17. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Overview of achievements
Outcome 2: Increased production of profitable, climate‐smart
commodities & food crops

18. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
• 953 rainwater harvesting and storage
units
• 53,779 farmers (12,972 women)
engaged in irrigation
• 16,481.68 ha of land was put under
irrigation
• 70% of which was in Ethiopia,
• and 13% in both Burkina Faso and
Kenya
• Farmers were able to grow crops twice-
a-year, which more than doubled their
yield especially in Ethiopia and Kenya
Water buffering and gardening in Niger
Water buffering a game changer in drylands food production

19. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
More than 50 sand dams in Kenya storing water for
market gardening, livestock and household use
Kitui: Sand dam providing water up to 500m away (shallow and deep well)

20. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Burkina Faso
Mali
Ethiopia
229 farm ponds in Kenya
Farm ponds/wells extended and or doubled the cropping cycles, facilitated engagement of more women and youth

21. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Water buffering Samre check dam -Ethiopia
Large scale water
buffering
Made possible by
levering strategic
partnerships like the IPs
and government
programmes in Ethiopia

22. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Soil and water conservation (SWC) key in dryland farming
149, 119 farmers,
(55,995 women
=38%) participated
putting 105,592 ha
under SWC by
20190
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
AreaunderSWC(ha)
Numberoffarmersengaged
Year
Total
Women
Land with promoted soil and water management options (ha)

23. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Soil and water conservation (SWC) key in dryland farming
• Across all countries 55% of the farmers
engaged were practicing SWC
• relatively more farmers were engaged in
Burkina Faso (41,772) and Niger (43,777)
• more land under SWC in Burkina Faso
(15,684.50ha) and Kenya (18,376 ha)
• larger pieces of land covered in Ethiopia
and Kenya with 1.2 ha and 0.89 ha per
farmer respectively
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Numberfofarmers
Year
Farmers reached with on farm SWC information and events
Farmers practising promoted soil and water management
options

24. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Zai pit technology assured a harvest for most farmers and increased
yield for others
NigerKenya
Burkina Faso

25. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Maize crop performance in 2x2 m Zai pits in Kenya planned comparison
Practice Makueni All counties
Number Mean Yield
(Kg/Ha)
Number Mean Yield
(Kg/Ha)
Farmer practice 103 598 (1125) 278 347 (809)
Farmer practice +
manure
41 743 (972) 180 337 (770)
Zai pit (2x2) 13 800 (1430) 86 800 (1277)
Zai pit (2x2) +
manure
115 2308
(2140)
315 1611
(1677)

26. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Participating in climate smart agricultural (CSA) production
125,154 farmers (55,347
women) participated
105,481 farmers (46,596
women) applied
promoted climate smart
production options
on 60,585 ha, across the
five countries0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
AreaunderCSP(ha)
Numberoffarmers
Year
Farmers reached with on farm CSP information and events
Number of farmers using/applying promoted climate smart production options
Farm land with one or more promoted climate smart production options (ha)

27. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Climate smart agriculture production diversified crops and increased yields using
contextually appropriate seed and seed systems
Kenya
Niger
Burkina Faso
Ethiopia
Mali

28. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Overview of achievements
Outcome 3: Increased sales of targeted value chain commodities by
male, female, and vulnerable

29. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Increased participation of male, female and disadvantaged farmers in lucrative value
chains
• 81,750 people (36,582 women)
engaged in various value chains
• about 40% of the farmers and 33%
of the women
• . More than 71,000 farmers (36,582
women) were producing
• 50,000 were selling commodities
especially in Burkina Faso (13,645)
and Ethiopia (14,232)
• =Most produced for food
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Numberoffarmers
Year
Farmers reached with information and events for market linkages
Total
Farmers reached with information and events for market linkages
Women
Number of farmers producing commodities of the targeted value
chains Total

30. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
#Farmers reached
Total W
Number of farmers producing
commodities
71,633 36,582
Number of farmers selling commodities 52,570 27,960
Number of farmers processing or adding
value
20,333 10,459
32 value chains
were developed to
varying levels of
success
Burkina Faso Ethiopia Kenya Mali Niger
 Groundnut
 Millet
 Onion
 Indigenous
chicken
 Cow peas
 Sorghum
 NTFP based
 Milk
 Haricot bean
 Honey
 Onion
 Potato
 Indigenous
chicken
 Shoat (Goat,
sheep)
 Sorghum
 Tomato
 Wheat
 Honey
 Mangoes
 Onion
 Indigenous
chicken
 Pulses (green
gram,
pigeon, cow
peas)
 Goat
 Spinach
 Tomato
 Watermelon
 Millet
 Sorghum
 Groundn
ut
 Cow peas
 Sugar
cane
 NTFP
based
products
Women appr. 51%
Increased participation in
lucrative value chains

31. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Relatively successful value chain commodities
Potatoes -Ethiopia
Shea -Burkina Faso
Honey -Kenya
Goats -Ethiopia
Harricot bean -Ethiopia
NTFPs -Niger
Green grams -Kenya
Magoes -Kenya
Chickens -Ethiopia
Onion -Burkina Faso
Millet, soghum -Mali
Tomatoes -Kenya

32. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Increased numbers of famers linked to credit/financial services
• 63,156 people, (26,243 women),
participated in financial literacy and
linkages activities
• a 20-times increase from 2015
• MFIs availed USD1.6 million in loans
to more than 63,266 farmers (23,310
women)
• 60,525 farmers (30,207 women) were
able to save with financial institutions
including VSLAs.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Valueofloans/savingsinUSD1000
Numberoffarmers
Programme period
Number of farmers engaged with finacial linkages information and events
Number of farmers accessing loans
Number of farmers saving
Value/amount of loans accessed by farmers US$
Value/amount of savings made by farmers

33. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Overview of achievements
Outcome 4: Improved local governance & institutional
functioning

34. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
2016 2017 2018 2019
%farmers
Numberoffarmers
Year
Chart Title
Number of farmers in FO
Number of people engaged in institutional capacity building
% farmers in farmer orgnisation
% women in farmer organisations
Improving farmer organisations
694 farmer organisations were
supported and formalised through
registration as cooperatives or
associations
High proportion of women in FO, many
women only organisations
More than 2,568 people (789 women)
duty bearers had capacity
took action with regards to their roles
and leadership responsibilities
driving and catalysing farmer to farmer
extension systems.

35. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
0 10 20 30 40
Improved compliance, certificate renewal, by law review
Increased membership, new groups, active participation
Clarity of roles, reduced conflict, more cohesion, trust
Increased participation, transparency and accountability
Improved leadership, group management
More investment/benefits, grant, loan, contributions
Activity diversification, goats, pultry, grass, treep planting,
terraces/zai pits
Vision setting, planning , record keeping, financial
management
% Respondents in Kenya
ChangesinFOs Increased capacity of local duty-bearers and farmer organizations

36. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Overview of achievements
Outcome 5: Critical mass of development actors motivated, able, and resourced to
support/directly implement evidenced options

37. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Multi stakeholder sharing and learning
What works, for who, where, with what, with who?

38. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Outcome 5
Critical mass of development actors motivated, able, and
resourced to support/directly implement evidenced options
• 350 scaling
stakeholders were
engaged across the
five countries
• Opportunities and
potential for scaling
identified
• Process not
completed

39. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Outcome 6
More supportive/appropriate policies & wider conducive institutional
environment for wide uptake of evidence
In the Sahel countries contributed to
• improvements in land tenure security,
• revitalization of land tenure commissions (CoFo) at village levels.
Kenya the main achievement
• domesticating the Water Act that empowers Water Resource Users Associations
• formation of village and ward level development committees and stakeholder forums for
improved coordination, cooperation and service delivery

40. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Lessons and insights

41. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Lessons and insights
• Options by context framework allowed promotion of locally suited and priority interventions to
farmers and cultivated a sense of ownership among the farmers and it is expected that the farmers will
sustain the programme results
• Funding research in development
• Integration of research and learning contingent on funds availability
• Limited funds constrained generation of evidence and scaling
• Need for proactive gender and social inclusion strategy
• Relatively fewer women engages -needed targeted efforts to influence and challenge existing gender
and social norms to allow women to participate and make decision about household resource
allocation including labour

42. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Lessons and insights
• Meticulous partner selection is critical for consortium delivery
• Innovative delivery requires more than capacity, needs learning, ability, willingness and ability to
change, adapt
• Proper functioning of country level consortiums was key and this was not achieved in all the
countries affecting programme delivery
• Limited staffing and technical capacity in some the country teams
• DryDev not benefiting from partner development infrastructure, always treated as separate unit
• Programme governance and oversight critical in mobilising and directing technical support
• Clear separation of responsibilities, roles among the three tier structure, implementing agency,
national lead organization and implementing partner
• Responsibilities should be accompanied by adequate resoures at all levels
• Implementation time frame
• The extended inception period rendered the implementation quite short, when interventions need longer term
investment to deliver impacts

43. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Lessons and insights
• Enabling sub national governance systems can make the ultimate difference
• Subnational governance systems and existence of stakeholders with capacity to engage with and leverage
resources to the programme played a key role in the success of the East Africa Programme
• Effective extension and facilitation are key for success
• DryDev relied on grassroots extension service, often weak or inexistent
• Each country teams designed technology transfer models and methods centred on farmer-to-farmer
extension, with variable degrees of success
Land tenure
• Can influence the success and appropriate strategy to design watershed management
interventions; it took longer to negotiate approach in the private land in Kenya
• Scale of intervention for natural resources management
• DryDev used the sub-catchment watershed scale to implement community-based landscape
restoration commonly used in Eastern Africa, Sahelian concept was not easily implemented

44. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Key message
• Contextual tailoring of interventions, bottom up processes and co-learning
approaches enhance farmer-stakeholders interaction and technology
uptake/ adoption –builds confidence
• Generating evidence on what works where for who is critical for learning,
adoption and scaling in mega development projects
• Successful scaling of technologies require massive local level participation
facilitated by enduring local institutions including farmer organisations,
subnational governments and strategic stakeholders with capacity to
leverage resources

45. 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!
p.sola@cgiar.org