Improving Fuel wood Balance-Agroforstry Northern Nigeria Sudano-sahelian zone has seen continued population growth, resulting in increased agriculture, deforestation and desertification. Afforestation projects in the 1990s resulted in vast shelter belts and modest farmer-managed wind breaks, woodlots and natural regeneration. Nonetheless, the population uses four times more fuel wood than the area produces. Intensifying farmer-managed fuel wood production and reducing fuel wood consumption can bring back the balance. Since 2010 Oxfam-Novib is developing a Special Project Climate-Smart Agriculture # Agroforestry (CFA-AF) that links up Oxfam#s initiatives in Niger, Senegal, Zimbabwe and now also Nigeria, and aims to develop and promote inclusive, entrepreneurial agroforestry models. The International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED) has been in the forefront of popularising energy saving food stoves and is looking for an area to pilot massive introduction of fuel wood reduction stoves (FWR-stoves). Oxfam and ICEED decided to collaborate and jointly respond tothe EU-call for restoring the fuel wood balance in Katsina, northern Nigeria. This project is a response to the Farmer Managed Renewable Energy Production in Katsina State under the Energising Access to Sustainable Energy Project call for proposal under the 10th European Development Fund. The specific reference of this call is EuropeAid/134597/D/ACT/NG


The project Improving the fuel wood balance in seven LGAs in Katsina falls under Lot 2 (north-east Katsina) of the EU Farmer Managed Renewable Energy Production in Katsina State under the Energising Access to Sustainable Energy Project. Specifically, the project will be implemented in the following locations Mashi, Mai Adua, Dutsi, Daura, Sandamu, Zango, and Baure LGAs of Katsina State in Nigeria. The project period is four years (September 2014-September 2018).

The overall objective of the project is to sustainably improve the fuel-wood balance and resilience of livelihoods of rural households in Mashi, Mai Adua, Dutsi, Daura, Sandamu, Zango, and Baure Local Government Areas in Katsina state. While the specific objective is By project end, to increase wood supply by establishing Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration and other sustainable agroforestry models with more than 5.5 million additional trees planted and/or maintained generating income for beneficiaries in target areas, whilst reducing fuel wood demand through dissemination and use of fire wood efficient stoves

The project target groups comprise 35,000 Men, women and youth farmers, pastoralists, and their CBOs, 350 animators and entrepreneurs (agroforestry: 230; stoves: 120), Traditional and Religious Authorities in 7 LGAs and 5 local NGOs, Local and State governments. While the final beneficiaries comprise of 275,000 Farmers, pastoralists and small entrepreneurs in Mashi, Mai Adua, Dutsi, Daura, Sandamu, Zango and Baure LGAs
The project estimated results are
1. R1. By mid-project, beneficiaries and target groups are aware of the fuel wood deficiency,can mention the three main underlying causes and are ready to take action to revert their fuel wood deficiency
2. R2:By mid-project, entrepreneurs, CBO, NGO and LGA capacity strengthened for establishing FMNR and other agroforestry models in the targetarea
3. R3: By the end of the project, farmer-pastoralist and other conducive tree tenure arrangements are in place in the target area
4. R4: By the end of the project, in the target area 160,000 ha of FMNR and other agroforestry models (woodlots, windbreaks, orchards, pasture management, etc.) and nurseries are put in place that enable 55,000 men, women, youth or pastoralists and their families to earn income and products with trees
5. R5: By the project end at least four economic agroforestry models have been documented, improved and scaled up for optimal production of fuel wood, NTFPs and intercrops / fodder for local markets
6. R6: By the end of project, a local supply chain has installed at least 35,000 FWR stoves in poor and middle income households of which 90% is regularly used, leading to overall 15% reduction in rural fuel wood consumption
7. R7. Learning dissemination 7 publications in which agroforestry / stove dissemination models and their effectiveness are documented, and the lessonslearned are analyzed, that are disseminated to over 100 subject-matter specialist and policy-officers and in at least 10 cases have explicitly fed new local policies
The project main activities will be Baseline studies, awareness raising, Management Information System setup, capacity building of 5 NGOs, 350 local animators/entrepreneurs of which 230 for agroforestry and 120 for stoves, and 700 CBOs, coordinate between pastoralists,farmers, men, women, youth, Government, Traditional / Religious leaders,promote 160,000 ha natural regeneration and other agroforestry models, establish 21 nurseries, distribute seedlings, support value chain development, explore applicability of innovative financial mechanisms and entrepreneurship; develop  efficient stove supply chain, disseminate 35,000 FWR efficient stoves, gain small CDMstatus.
Total project budget is # 5.8 million comprising EU grant of # 4.7 million representing 80% while Oxfam + ICEED of # 1.175 million representing 20% (comprising Oxfam contribution of# 805,000.00 and ICEED contribution of # 370,000.00)