1. Transformational Opportunities to
Perennialize Global Farming
Creating an EverGreen Agriculture
Dennis Garrity
UN Drylands Ambassador
Distinguished Board Research Fellow, World Agroforestry Centre

2. Agroforestry in the Era of the
Sustainable Development
Goals…and Beyond
Dennis Garrity

3. Sustainable Development Goals
• Food security
• Poverty eradication
• Health
• Gender equity
• Education and Youth opportunities
• Reversing land degradation
• Biodiversity conservation
• Energy for all
• Climate change resilience

4. Production of the most important dryland crops is
typically associated with dispersed trees in the farm
fields: agroforestry parklands

5. !Channels for Reducing Vulnerability !
!
1. Buffer crop production from drought stress!
! !!
! !-- Sustain higher and more stable yields by !
! !more favorable microclimate !
! !!
! !-- Conserve and enhance soil organic matter,
! ! !infiltration and water holding capacity!
!
2. Tree crops generally less severely affected by
!drought, heat, excess water!
!
3. Greater diversity of income sources !
!

6. The albida halo effect!
• Microclimate buffering!
• Soil fertility improvement!

7. Microclimatic variation:
Temperature

8. A Desertifying Landscape
Southern Niger in the 1980s

9. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration on crop fields: Initial Stages!

10. A Parkland Renaissance on Niger farmlands!

11. The albida halo effect!
• Microclimate buffering!
• Soil fertility improvement!

12. Aerial view of a parkland dominated by Faidherbia in Niger

13. Major agroforestry regions in West Africa and
directions of expansion

14. What is Evergreen Agriculture?
A form of more intensive farming that
integrates trees into crop and livestock
production systems.
Evergreen farming systems are ‘double- story’
systems that feature both perennial and
annual species (food crops and trees),
maintaining a green cover on the land
throughout the year.

15. Types of Evergreen Agriculture
1. Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR)
on cropland
2. Conservation agriculture with trees (CAWT)
3. Conventional agriculture interplanted with trees

16. !Evergreen agriculture with Faidherbia albida in Zambia.!
!!

18. 17 Countries
engaged in
EverGreen
Agriculture
in Africa
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
Conservation Agriculture with trees
Trees interplanted in conventional tilled
cropland
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration +
Trees interplanted in conventional tilled
cropland

19. Training for farmer
groups
curricula material for
universities and technical
colleges improved
Improved government
policies
EverGreen
Agriculture
Partnership
Farmers and
Groups
Research
organisations
NGO’s & Civil
Society
Youth and
Education
Governments
and Policy
Development
organisations
Donors
Private
Sector
Improved
technical
capacity of
extension
and
government
scaling up
efforts
Improved
communications and
awareness
Provision of
products
and
services by
the Private
sector
Technical and
institutional
capacity built
to support
spread of
EverGreen
Agriculture
Collaboration
between
organisations
supporting
EverGreen
Agriculture
EverGreen Agriculture PartnershipEverGreen Agriculture Partnership

20. Conclusions – Way Forward
• Create a Climate Resilient Agriculture through
EverGreen Agriculture for land regeneration and
food security on small-scale farms.
• The approach has taken root in Africa, and is
spreading rapidly.
• Millions of smallholders are adopting effective
land regeneration methods
• Many nations are creating the policy and
institutional environments to favor adoption

21. For More Information
World Agroforestry Centre
www.worldagroforestry.org!
Evergreen Agriculture web site
www.evergreenagriculture.net!
!
Email contacts:
d.garrity@cgiar.org!