How does Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) Improve Soil Fertility and Plant Cover in the Simiri Commune in Niger?

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to assess Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) impacts on improving soil fertility and plant cover through the physicochemical characterization of soil samples taken from ANR fields and control fields. Study Design:  The experimental design is made up of a vegetation observation gradient along an East-West transect and a soil sampling gradient along a North-South transect. Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Sahelian zone in the rural commune of Simiri in Niger between May and June 2023. Methodology: Data on the diversity of species predominant in the ANR system, the social categories of ANR users and farmers' perceptions of ANR were collected on a sample of 120 farmers chosen at random from three villages in the commune of Simiri. Results: A sandy texture was recorded in all the samples submitted for analysis, with an overall acid of soil pH (5.18 ⁃ 5.62). The proportions of the main nutrients: C(0,16), N(0,015), P(6,88), K(0,066), Mo(0,30) C/N(10,83) were relatively higher in the fields under ANR practices compared with the control fields. With regard to the dominant woody species, the results show that the stands are mainly based on Combretum glutinosum, Combretum micranthum and Guera senegalensis. The ability of woody species to withstand stressful conditions could act as a bulwark against climatic hazards. The strong dominance of these species is due, among other things, to their regenerative capacity, their rapid spread and, above all, their economic interest in the production of firewood and other ecosystem services. Conclusion: The Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) adoption in farming practices has often been accompanied by the creation of village committees for the protection and management of trees and other areas of sustainable natural resource management. Despite mutilation and other illegal felling, the new agroforestry parks increase the resilience of agricultural production systems to climatic shocks and biotic stresses.