How to achieve sustainable management systems for natural resources? How to integrate and plant trees in the fields? How to meet the needs of farmers? Which agroforestry practices to favor?… So many questions and themes which were addressed on January 21 during a training day delivered by Dr Emilie Smith Dumont, trainer and specialist in agroforestry systems and Misbahou Mohamed, Technical Director of the NGO Dahari.
Organized by theBangor University and World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and with the financial support of Darwin Initiative, through the project “Landscape approach to improve biodiversity and resilience of livelihoods in the Comoros”, this training focused on the principles of selection, multiplication and management of trees to promote the adoption of sustainable agroforestry practices on the the island of Anjouan.
Whether they were agricultural technicians, working in NGOs or in Regional Economic Development Centers (CRDE), agents of the Department of the Environment and Forests and Agriculture or teacher-researchers, there were 27 of them, including 8 women , to have gathered to participate in the training and all had a link with the management of natural resources in Anjouan, and more particularly with trees.
During the day, the trainers presented to the guests a participatory and evolving tool entitled “Useful Trees”, designed to support decision-making regarding the selection and management of trees for agroforestry interventions. This tool was created by compiling the results of participatory research with available scientific information about local tree species in an accessible and simple format to aid in decision-making to plant the right tree for the right place . This first version of the tool lists 77 tree species (native and exotic) and capitalizes on various information on these trees: vernacular and local names of species, services provided (fertilization, fight against erosion, reclamation of degraded land, stabilization waterways, biodiversity), tree products (firewood, fodder, construction timber, medicines, fruits, etc.) or even key attributes (live hedge, coppicing, living stakes).
During the application exercises, the trainers took care to remind the participants of the precautions to take before introducing a new species of tree into an environment or promoting exotic species. Indeed, certain species can become “invasive” or “invasive” and would negatively impact ecosystems.
The training continued and topics such as tree propagation (guidelines for seed production, vegetative propagation, etc.) and tree management (pruning, topping, coppicing, thinning, etc.) were covered.
“Which species(s) are recommended for reforestation in Anjouan? ", at the end of the day, participants could affirm that there is not one or more species to promote, but that everything depends on the planting area, the needs of local communities and the desired services: “The right tree, in the right place and for the right person”.
