Restoring degraded land using hand-dug trenches

These trenches, dug in a staggered pattern perpendicular to the slope on moderately to steeply sloping terrain, help retain runoff water, thereby restoring woody and herbaceous vegetation on degraded soils

Background

Technique developed in Niger as a complement to the half-moons and stone ridges located further downstream

Location: Niger and Burkina Faso

Effects of the technique Retains runoff water Slows the formation of gullies and scour channels Protects structures (half-moons, stone cordons, spillways, etc.) located downstream by slowing runoff Enhances the stability of steep slopes

• Authors: Félix Bonnin, Christophe Brossé, and reviewed by Eric Roose (Researcher, IRD)
• Publisher: Desertification Working Group
• Year: 2019

CARI Association: CARI, an international solidarity association founded in 1998, works with rural communities in the Saharan periphery. Our mission is to support small-scale agriculture to address food crises and promote the development of local communities, as well as to combat desertification and land degradation in arid zones.