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This approach in integral to the Tahoua Rural Development Project, PDRT (Project de Developement Rural de Tahoua), a long-term project, which was initiated in 1988 and has been financed mainly through German and Nigerian governments but with voluntary participation and contributions from the local population.
The main goal of the approach is to plan and implement land management activities with villagers in such a way that sustainability is ensured. The specific objectives of the project are to:
- Increase the capacity of the villagers to design, implement and self-evaluate SWC activities
- Develop and document management programme for the village land
- Restore and protect the agrosilvopastoral production potential
- Develop and evaluate activities for the benefit of rural women and
- Improve the capacity of government and private development agencies to co-ordinate and execute sustainable land rehabilitation.
The technical focus of PDRT's approach is evident in its title. The project emphasises simple and cheap technologies that are replicable. Project extension work is carried out by facilitators and consists of awareness raising, demonstration and exchange trips.
Problem identification and planning of activities takes place in village meetings. The local land users are supported by project personnel who also provide technical assistance during the implementation of the SWC measures.
Incentives are provided for the rehabilitation of marginal land for silvo-pasto-ral use, but nothing is given for individual agricultural land, other than the transport of stones using lorries - for those fields that do not have stones close buy.
Through village groups and with the help of development agencies the people of Tahoua district have succeeded in implementing measures to improve living conditions on a sustainable basis. However continuation of the approach is not ensured due to two major reasons:
- Land users do not have the means to carry on the activities on common land and
- The government lacks the capacity and finance for extension.
The project supported services stopped completely in 2003 - however a new programme began in 2004 with German co-operation and is currently attempting to use NGOs for extension work.
