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Agroforestry in the Sahel

In this chapter on agroforestry in the Sahel region, you will find:

  • An overview of the general approach to agroforestry in the Sahel,
  • The benefits of agroforestry for improving yields and climate resilience,
  • How agroforestry enhances food security and income,
  • The advantages of integrating trees for crop health,
  • The advantages of integrating shrubs for crop health,
  • How agroforestry systems can enhance livestock health.
  • Agroforestry practices to improve soil fertility,
  • Guidance on designing agroforestry systems, and
  • The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for further resources.

Acknowledgments:
We extend our sincere gratitude to all the farmers and scientists involved in the Sustain Sahel project. Their contributions have been instrumental in shaping the insights presented in this chapter, and their studies are cited in the reference list.


Responsible author: Lilian Beck

Reviewed by: Fernando Sousa, Gilles
Weidmann

Scientific references (SustainSahel project studies and others)

Adams, Alexis M.; Gillespie, Adam W.; Kar, Gourango; Koala, Saidou; Ouattara, Badiori; Kimaro, Anthony A. et al. (2016): Long term effects of reduced fertilizer rates on millet yields and soil properties in the West-African Sahel. In: Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 106 (1), pp. 17–29. DOI: 10.1007/s10705-016-9786-x.

Agbohessou, Yélognissè; Audebert, Alain; Ndour, Adama; Leroux, Louise; Jourdan, Christophe; Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy et al. (2025): Proxydetection of the impact distance of trees on crops: An indicator of the Land Equivalent Ratio? In: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 394, p. 109918. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2025.109918.

Akodéwou, Amah; Palou Madi, Oumarou; Ambomo Tsanga, Faustin; Rousgou, Romain; Peltier, Régis (2024): Three decades of Faidherbia albida agroforestry in Far North Region, Cameroon. In: Agroforestry at work: Tropenbos International.

Beye, Aminata; Traoré, Linda C. Gabriella; Coulibaly, Mamadou; Mbaye, Tamsir, Schlecht, Eva; Fall Ba, Mariéme; Ngom, Daouda; Heckendorn, Felix; Roessler, Regina; Sanon, Hadja Oumou and Coulibaly, Drissa (2023). Use of trees and shrub by farmers to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in extensive livestock production systems of West Africa. Tropentag 2023. tropentag.de/2023/abstracts/links/Beye_h5Kry3wI.php     

Coulibaly, Mamadou; Coulibaly, Drissa; Roessler, Regina; Coulibaly, Hawa; Cissé, Baba; Schlecht, Eva (2025): Preference of Ligneous Forages by Sheep in South-East Mali. Animals 15 (8), 1102. doi: 10.3390/ani15081102.   

Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy; N'dienor, Moussa; Leroux, Louise; Ba, Halimatou. S.; Bongers, Frans; Jourdan, Christophe et al. (2023): Faidherbia albida trees form a natural buffer against millet water stress in agroforestry parklands in Senegal. In: Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ., pp. 182–195. DOI: 10.25518/1780-4507.20477.

Diongue, Djim M.L.; Brunetti, Giuseppe; Stumpp, Christine; Do, Frederic C.; Roupsard, Olivier; Orange, Didier et al. (2023): A probabilistic framework for assessing the hydrological impact of Faidherbia albida in an arid area of Senegal. In: Journal of Hydrology 622, p. 129717. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2023.129717.

Doumbia, Salif; Dembele, Sidiki Gabriel; Sissoko, Fagaye; Samake, Odiaba; Sousa, Fernando; Harun, Cicek et al. (2020a): Alley cropped Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex. Walp. enhance soil fertility and yields of cotton, maize and sorghum in Mali. In: International Journal of Food Science and Agriculture 4 (3), pp. 301–313.

Doumbia, Salif; Dembele, Sidiki Gabriel; Sissoko, Fagaye; Samake, Odiaba; Sousa, Fernando; Harun, Cicek et al. (2020b): Alley Cropped Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex. Walp. Enhance Soil Fertility and Yields of Cotton, Maize and Sorghum in Mali 4 (3).

Fané, S.; Agbotui, D. K.; Graefe, S.; Sanou, L.; Sanogo, S.; Buerkert, A. (2024): Adoption of agroforestry systems by smallholder farmers in the Sudano-Sahelian zones of Mali and Burkina Faso, West Africa. In: Agroforest Syst 98 (7), pp. 2385–2396. DOI: 10.1007/s10457-024-01020-8.

Fané, Siriki Agbotui; Deogratias, Kofi; Ndiaye, Cheikh; Ingold, Mariko; Graefe, Sophie; Buerkert, Andreas (ed.) (2023): Decomposition and nitrogen release patterns of shrubs/trees leafy biomass in the Sahelian zone of Senegal in West Africa. Tropentag.

Fauconnier, Sébastien; Vincke, Caroline; Do, Frédéric (2024): Eco-hydrology of a Sahelian woody species: Faidherbia albida. Assessing root hydraulic redistributions in the agroforestry parkland of Sob, Senegal.

Founoune-Mboup, Hassna; Moussa, NDiénor; other ISRA researchers (2025): Participatory field trials on soil improvement with organic matter from local shrubs and manure. Dakar, 2025. Internal project report.

Gnissien, Moussa; Coulibaly, Kalifa; Barro, Moussa; Douzet, Jean-Marie; Cournac, Laurent; Cicek, Harun; Nacro, Hassan B. (2023): Long-term effects of different densities of Piliostigma reticulatum (DC) Hochst on carbon and water storage and dynamics in an epipetric Plinthosol in the northern Sudanese zone of Burkina Faso. In: Int. J. Bio. Chem. Sci 17 (3), pp. 1220–1236. DOI: 10.4314/ijbcs.v17i3.36.

Gnissien, Moussa; Coulibaly, Kalifa; Koomson, Eric; Douzet, Jean-Marie; Cournac, Laurent; Nacro, Hassan Bismarck; Cicek, Harun (2025): Soil properties and crop productivity under varying density of planted Piliostigma reticulatum (DC) Hochst in Burkina Faso. In: Agroforest Syst 99 (8), p. 260. DOI: 10.1007/s10457-025-01365-8.

Hane, Ndèye Maguette; Sall, Saïdou Nourou; Founoune, Hassna; Ndienor, Moussa; Cicek, Harun; Van Den Meersche, Karel (2025): Integration of agrosystems with mycorrhizal shrub Guiera senegalensis in Sanghaïe (Niakhar - Fatick), Senegal. Tropentag Reconcile land system changes. University of Bonn / ZEF. Bonn, 2025.

Koné, Souleymane; Kouyaté, Aliou Badara; Sanogo, Sidi; Coulibaly, Hawa; Dembélé, Sidiki Gabriel; Sissoko, Fagaye et al. (2025): Effects of decomposition of Piliostigma reticulatum (DC) Hochst, Guiera senegalensis J. F. Gmel and Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. In: Rev. Afr. Environ. Agric. 8 (2), pp. 196–206. DOI: 10.4314/rafea.v8i2.17.

Koomson, E., Diouf, A., E., Sylla, D.; Beck, L; Ameth F.; Cadisch, G. (2025). SustainSahel deliverable report (D7.5): Dissemination materials from processed and visualized model outputs

Olivier Roupsard; Alain Audebert; Adama P. Ndour; Cathy Clermont-Dauphin; Yelognissè Agbohessou; Josias Sanou et al. (2020): How far does the tree affect the crop in agroforestry? New spatial analysis methods in a Faidherbia parkland. In: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 296, p. 106928. DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2020.106928.

Roessler, Regina; Cicek, Harun; Cournac, Laurent; Gnissien, Moussa; Männle, Julia; Koomson, Eric et al. (2025): Towards transdisciplinary identification of suitable woody perennials for resilient agro-silvopastoral systems in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa. In: Agroforest Syst 99 (1). DOI: 10.1007/s10457-024-01113-4.

Sidy Sow; Yolande Senghor; Khardiatou Sadio; Rémi Vezy; Olivier Roupsard; François Affholder et al. (2024): Calibrating the STICS soil-crop model to explore the impact of agroforestry parklands on millet growth. In: Field Crops Research 306, p. 109206. DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2023.109206.

Siegwart, Lorène; Bertrand, Isabelle; Roupsard, Olivier; Duthoit, Maxime; Jourdan, Christophe (2022): Root litter decomposition in a sub-Sahelian agroforestry parkland dominated by Faidherbia albida. In: Journal of Arid Environments 198, p. 104696. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104696.

Traore, Linda C. Gabriella; Sanou, Sita; Roessler, Regina; Sanon, Hadja Oumou; Bougouma-Yameogo, Valérie.; Schlecht, Eva (2025): Digestibilité de quelques ligneux fourragers préférés par les ovins dans la zone nord-soudanienne du Burkina Faso. Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences. 63(3) 11921-11933.doi:10.35759/JAnmPlSci.v63-3.7

Further resources to learn more about agroforestry

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