FMNR: Achieving Scale Up

Editor's Notes

• #3: FMNR is tried and proven. It is scalable and once introduced can continue to scale up without ongoing project input. You are not taking a gamble here – if you introduce it, and do it well, there is high likelihood that it will spread.
• #6: What level impact do you see yourself having?
• #12: Factors that make scale up easier – FMNR is highly visible – when 99% of farmers clear every tree and 1% do not, their farms stand out. Encourage FMNR along roadsides so that more people can see it. FMNR makes economic sense and therefore neighbours start copying neighbours. FMNR boosts crop yields and livestock production – you are not sacrificing livelihoods in order to save the environment. This is win win.
• #15: Think of a simple message. What is the most pressing need in your country – align your FMNR messaging with that need. In Senegal, the project name ‘Beysatol’ (work the land) became a rallying cry to engage people in doing FMNR. People were despairing. Crop yields had been declining for years and they did not know what to do about it. In Ghana, Naba tintuug lebge tii (from small bushes big trees grow) was a traditional phrase, used as the local name for FMNR. People were already familiar with this term and this aided it in being taken up. It was an expression which gave hope. “don’t worry, from small beginnings big things happen”.
• #16: In E. Sumba I gave a very simple message: stop burning and start pruning. Year by year there is less forest. In E. Sumba (Indonesia) now there remains only thin ribbons of forest left in the deep valleys (see satellite view). The governor of E. Sumba told me that his island had been forsaken by God, that it was the worst place on earth to live and that if it got any worse, they would all have to leave. As we travelled through the country side and looked closely in the course imperata grass we discovered the ‘underground forest’ there too. Within just a year of the first workshop communities are now practicing FMNR on 500 ha. of land with 100-200 trees / ha.
• #17: All you really have to do is inspire people. In 20011 I spoke in Jordan and a young man from Kenya took copies of my presentation. He went back to the deforested island of Rusinga (Lake Victoria) and taught people how to practice FMNR without the backing of a project. People have immediately taken up the practice. I have never been to Rusinga. I may never get there. But because I inspired one person – FMNR is spreading there, and through his organization, they have included FMNR in all of their trainings across the country.
• #19: Don’t bombard communities with too many innovations at once. Focus on introducing one main message to as many people as possible. There is safety in numbers and people are more likely to adopt a new practice if there are many others also adopting it.
• #20: Once WV in Tigray and the authorities were ‘converted’ to FMNR there was no stopping them. They trained hundreds of staff and thousands of farmers. They had meetings, exchange visits, policy review.....
• #22: The FMNR workshop was held in Mekele Tigray. (see written report for attendants and outcomes etc)
• #26: Many governments have a top down approach to preserving forests. However, these rarely work as it is impossible to keep very poor people out of forests. Also, forests protected in this way rarely expand – they usually contract.
• #27: FMNR spread in Niger to 5 million ha. in 20 years. It largely happened through word of mouth from farmer to farmer, with minimal NGO or government intervention. We simply sent our farmers and staff out to other regions of Niger and we welcomed visitors from any organization – government, church, NGO, individuals..
• #28: The good news is you don’t have to achieve scale up alone (you can’t anyhow). There is no way that I could have reached more than 3 million farmers in Niger – farmers themselves did reach the other farmers though. Just simply empower farmers. For many professionals this is difficult. We are the experts. We have been to university. We have the knowledge. – we have to set this aside and trust and empower farmers to do the job.
• #29: Imagine what would be possible today if we facilitated farmers to teach farmers, if we collaborated with researchers and universities and if we worked with governments to provide favourable policies and to teach these methods through their extension services? Why not spread FMNR 5 million hectares in 5 years?
• #30: Use media – the more the better.
• #31: In Niger, WV developed this simple video clip which can be sent to farmers by phone.
• #32: One of our biggest mistakes is to try to bring about landscape change on our own – if you want to succeed – network.
• #33: An important first step was for the government to grant legal user rights. This ensures communities that they will benefit from any work they do in the forest. This gives them the incentive and motivation needed to do the work without payment – for their own benefit.
• #34: A training and forest management plan was developed and agreed to.
• #35: Their tree work was so successful that wood markets sprung up where there was only sand before. They charge a membership fee and farmers are paid a guaranteed price for the wood. Profits over and above the guaranteed price are then divided up between the farmer, organizing committee and the forestry department.