Releasing the Underground Forest

Building on natural and social capital for food and

nutrition security

Tony Rinaudo

Principal Natural Resource Advisor

World Vision Australia

The systematic regeneration & management of trees

and shrubs growing from living tree stumps, roots &

seedlings

Re-greening mindsets in order to

re-green landscapes

Diagram: Bogie Nathaniel A., Bayala Roger, Diedhiou Ibrahima, Conklin Martha H., Fogel Marilyn L., Dick Richard P., Ghezzehei Teamrat A. 2018. Hydraulic Redistribution by Native Sahelian Shrubs: Bioirrigation to Resist In-Season Drought. Front Env. Sci. Vol 6, 18Sep18. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00098

360C

350C 450C

710C

200 million trees

5,000,000 hectares in 20 years

~ 5 million tons CO2 / year

Pye-Smith.C. 2013. The Quiet Revolution: How Niger’s

farmers are re-greening the parklands of the Sahel;

ICRAF Trees for Change no.12. Nairobi; World

Agroforestry Centre.

Reij, C., Tappan, G., Smale, M. 2009. Agro-environmental

transformation in the Sahel: another kind of “Green

Revolution”. IFPRI Discussion Paper 00914. International

Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC

Sendzimir, J., Reij, C.P., Magnuszewski, P. 2011.

Rebuilding Resilience in the Sahel: Regreening in the

Maradi and Zinder Regions of Niger Ecology and Society

16 (3): 1

http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss3/art1/

Up to $1,000 household income

$900 million

4.5 million people

500,000 tons

2.5 million people

Tree Planting FMNR

1975 – 82

(7 years)

1984 – 2004

(20 years)

$160 million < $10 million

20,000 hectares 5 million hectares

$8,000/ha <$2 / ha

200 - 500%

From destitute day labourer to

entrepreneurial farmer: 176% increase in

income in two years - Musa Chelelgo,Kenya.

Education

Gebremichael Gidey, community leader is emphatic - “Ninety

percent of our youth are here. Compared to nearby villages,

the main difference is that ours has become full of water.

Because of that they are earning a lot of money from

vegetables, livestock fattening and dairy.” https://www.theguardian.com/global-

development-professionals-network/2016/aug/03/ethiopia-restored-drylands-migration-eroded-deforested

'No one leaves any more': Ethiopia's

restored drylands offer new hope

Restoration of hope.

Recommendations:

Focus on empowerment and enabling communities

Diplomacy for an enabling environment – land & tree

ownership/ user rights

Market linkages / fair value chain development

Primary, secondary, tertiary school curriculums

Bonn challenge / AFR100 - FMNR roll out opportunity

Thank you

More information: fmnrhub.com.au