Projects Current projects Rehabilitation of the Sahel (REACH) – Burkina Faso The project works with indigenous communities to reverse degradation, and foster sustainable land management, of pastures in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. Benefits that REACH Italia provides Start date 2014 Coordinator REACH Italia Activities Assisted Natural RegenerationImproved land management Participants 4983 households PVCs issued to-date 1667 The detail The project intervention consists of restoring degraded pastures in the Burkinabe Sahel in close collaboration with local rural communities by re-establishing structure, productivity and tree and grass species diversity originally present in order to enhance the productivity of the vegetation as pasture for the benefit of the pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. Sustainable land-use management of the pastures are promoted through the introduction of local land charters. The project is located in the Sahel in the North of Burkina Faso. In the first stage of the project three villages in the province of Oudalan are involved with a total of 376 ha and in a later stage other villages in the provinces of Soum and Séno. The project is part of a larger program BKF/017 “Livestock Improvement Project of the Zebu Azawak and sustainable management of pastoral resources” implemented by the Ministry in charge of Animal Resources in Burkina Faso with finance from Lux Dev aiming to rehabilitate a total pasture surface of 7250 hectares. The target communities live in poverty, both in terms of income and resources, and they depend on subsistence and modest income-generating crop and livestock farming activities for their survival. The documents See all documents SDG details See how the project provides benefits beyond carbon and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Development Goal How the project contributes The project is in line with the Action Plan and Investment Program of the Livestock Sector (PAPISE) which aims to enhance the contribution of breeding livestock to poverty reduction, food security and growth of the national economy. Through better land and livestock management, livestock productivity increases which benefits communities’ own consumption and income-generating activities. The rehabilitation of degraded pastures through direct seeding of herbaceous and woody species improves food and agricultural production. In the Sahel, local communities in rural areas depend on livestock, a few crops and wild plants for survival. In daily life the Sahelian communities complement the diet through a collection of wild fruits and leaves. Improved forage of livestock increases the availability of milk for local communities. The project works with local communities to enforce local land charters, enabling the legal recognition of rights of indigenous, marginalised communities, legitimised by customary rules and practices. By restoring degraded pastures in the Sahel, the project will increase the abundance of many tree and grass species. In doing so, carbon will be drawn out of the atmosphere and stored in the landscape. This will help reduce the damaging effects of climate change. The project undertakes restoration of degraded pastures by reseeding the area with naturalised and native tree, shrub and herbaceous species. Manage Cookie Preferences