Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification

In the Mayahi region, south-centre of Niger, the inventory of woody species occurring in a valley has been completed. Studies have also been carried out on chains marketing products harvested on these woody species. A small-sized palm-tree, the doum, has proved to have a significant economic, social...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Régis Peltier, Claudine Serre Duhem, Aboubacar Ichaou
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Éditions en environnement VertigO 2008-04-01
Series:VertigO
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/1452
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841552916404502528
author Régis Peltier
Claudine Serre Duhem
Aboubacar Ichaou
author_facet Régis Peltier
Claudine Serre Duhem
Aboubacar Ichaou
author_sort Régis Peltier
collection DOAJ
description In the Mayahi region, south-centre of Niger, the inventory of woody species occurring in a valley has been completed. Studies have also been carried out on chains marketing products harvested on these woody species. A small-sized palm-tree, the doum, has proved to have a significant economic, social and ecological value.The wood of its stem, mechanically resistant and little damaged by termites, is used as timber. The pulp of its fruit is eaten, dried palm cores produce edible flour, several parts are used as fuel, palm-trees have a favorable influence on associated crops or pastures… and above all the limb of young leaves is used for numerous craft products (ropes, mats, etc.). Thanks to a very active chain, this meets local populations’ needs and provides financial incomes which are indispensable for the survival of the poorest. The general degradation of the Sahelian environment and his desertification, on account of climate uncertainties and increase of anthropic pressure, allows to fear an overexploitation of the doum palm-tree which would lead to the disappearance of adult seed trees, then to sprout exhaustion and disappearance of young seedlings. This phenomenon could be worsened by the ongoing drying out of the valley due to dam construction upstream in Nigeria. Farmers’ experience shows that it is possible to let a sprout develop a stem which grows relatively rapidly, provided it is not cut for several years. In areas where the doum is associated with crops, a mere dissemination of the Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) technique among the population can allow farmers to restore a sustainable agroforestry park of adult palm-trees. In sylvo-pastoral areas, where the space and plants are not private property, it will be more difficult. Also, the chain organization was tested through a leaf market. It is still too early to know if this will bring sustainable improvement to chain functioning, threatened by imported products. The ideal would be to have new chains (fair international trade) giving value to craft products and inciting populations to sustainably manage Sahelian doum groves.
format Article
id doaj-art-0416ea849f4947abaccda47267b12352
institution Kabale University
issn 1492-8442
language fra
publishDate 2008-04-01
publisher Éditions en environnement VertigO
record_format Article
series VertigO
spelling doaj-art-0416ea849f4947abaccda47267b123522025-01-09T12:37:28ZfraÉditions en environnement VertigOVertigO1492-84422008-04-018110.4000/vertigo.1452Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertificationRégis PeltierClaudine Serre DuhemAboubacar IchaouIn the Mayahi region, south-centre of Niger, the inventory of woody species occurring in a valley has been completed. Studies have also been carried out on chains marketing products harvested on these woody species. A small-sized palm-tree, the doum, has proved to have a significant economic, social and ecological value.The wood of its stem, mechanically resistant and little damaged by termites, is used as timber. The pulp of its fruit is eaten, dried palm cores produce edible flour, several parts are used as fuel, palm-trees have a favorable influence on associated crops or pastures… and above all the limb of young leaves is used for numerous craft products (ropes, mats, etc.). Thanks to a very active chain, this meets local populations’ needs and provides financial incomes which are indispensable for the survival of the poorest. The general degradation of the Sahelian environment and his desertification, on account of climate uncertainties and increase of anthropic pressure, allows to fear an overexploitation of the doum palm-tree which would lead to the disappearance of adult seed trees, then to sprout exhaustion and disappearance of young seedlings. This phenomenon could be worsened by the ongoing drying out of the valley due to dam construction upstream in Nigeria. Farmers’ experience shows that it is possible to let a sprout develop a stem which grows relatively rapidly, provided it is not cut for several years. In areas where the doum is associated with crops, a mere dissemination of the Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) technique among the population can allow farmers to restore a sustainable agroforestry park of adult palm-trees. In sylvo-pastoral areas, where the space and plants are not private property, it will be more difficult. Also, the chain organization was tested through a leaf market. It is still too early to know if this will bring sustainable improvement to chain functioning, threatened by imported products. The ideal would be to have new chains (fair international trade) giving value to craft products and inciting populations to sustainably manage Sahelian doum groves.https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/1452desertificationHyphaene thebaicadoumNigernon wood forest productsagroforestry
spellingShingle Régis Peltier
Claudine Serre Duhem
Aboubacar Ichaou
Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
VertigO
desertification
Hyphaene thebaica
doum
Niger
non wood forest products
agroforestry
title Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
title_full Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
title_fullStr Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
title_full_unstemmed Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
title_short Valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gérer durablement le système agroforestier d’une vallée sahélienne du Niger et éviter sa désertification
title_sort valoriser les produits du palmier doum pour gerer durablement le systeme agroforestier d une vallee sahelienne du niger et eviter sa desertification
topic desertification
Hyphaene thebaica
doum
Niger
non wood forest products
agroforestry
url https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/1452
work_keys_str_mv AT regispeltier valoriserlesproduitsdupalmierdoumpourgererdurablementlesystemeagroforestierdunevalleesaheliennedunigeretevitersadesertification
AT claudineserreduhem valoriserlesproduitsdupalmierdoumpourgererdurablementlesystemeagroforestierdunevalleesaheliennedunigeretevitersadesertification
AT aboubacarichaou valoriserlesproduitsdupalmierdoumpourgererdurablementlesystemeagroforestierdunevalleesaheliennedunigeretevitersadesertification