Entente Intervillageoises pour L'Exploitation des Ressources Naturelles et Agricoles - EXPERNA

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Entente Intervillageoises pour L'Exploitation des Ressources Naturelles et Agricoles - EXPERNA

Senegal
Project Stage:
Scaling
Budget: 
$1,000 - $10,000
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Opa Cissokho is providing farmers with incentives to be agents in forest conservation. In the Tambacounda region, much of the coal and wood used for household fuel comes from felling trees. Forests are disappearing because of ignorance about the environmental consequences, as well as a lack of natural resource management systems. Opa trains farmers to become agroforest agents and generate additional income from forest products such as Arabic gum. Through this understanding, farmers discover new potential in trees and forests, and in their own economic citizenship. Opa, a native of the area, supports the initiative but it is maintained by local farmers.

About Project

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

For years, farmers in Senegal's impoverished Tambacounda region have relied on selling timber for use as household fuel. Forest reserves have been seriously depleted due to a lack of awareness of the environmental consequences of overharvesting the trees as well as a dearth of natural resource management systems. In response, Opa is giving farmers the option to earn a livelihood while also taking care of the environment. He encourages farmers to sell other commercially viable forest products in place of timber. During the non-growing season, farmers serve as agroforest agents, receiving payment for preventing the region's historically devastating brush fires. While Opa ensures that farmers retain control over the management of resources, he also works to promote their opinions and strategies at the highest level of policymaking. Opa aims to replicate the model throughout the country, creating a unified voice for sustainable forest conservation in Senegal. These initiatives have translated into greater political stability throughout the region, leading to a reduction in violence and conflict over resources.
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