Digging half moons in Soucoucoutane, Niger. Courtesy of Kimba Goubour/FAO
Municipalities are the most decentralized government authorities in Niger and Burkina Faso. They have a central role to play in scaling up restoration and sustainable land management. Through its projects "Restoration of Forests and Landscapes and Sustainable Land Management in the Sahel" funded by the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and "The Paris Agreement in Action" funded by Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), FAO strengthens the capacities of the municipalities of Kollo, Soucoucoutane and Illéla in Niger and Bani, Yamba and Coala in Burkina Faso to plan and implement restoration on their land.
In 2019, these municipalities included green investments in their Communal Development Plans (PCD). At the beginning of 2020, as part of the decentralization processes in Niger and Burkina Faso, jurisdiction over these investment plans was transferred to the municipalities through the dedicated national agencies. Coordinated technical support is strengthening the municipal contracting authority so that it can identify how to most appropriately restore land over the coming months. In Niger, assisted natural regeneration (ANR) on private farms has already started in Soucoucoutane, Kollo and Illéla and land reclamation by digging half moons is under way in Soucoucoutane.
