Description and objectives:
The objective of the project is to identify and support the adoption of sustainable and effective agroforestry practices in the socio-cultural context of the intervention area, in order to make a significant and sustainable contribution to biodiversity conservation and diversification of farmers' income sources  in ten gazetted forests: Agoua, Dan, Kétou, Logozohe, Oueme-Boukou, Tchaourou-Toui-Kilibo, Oueme Supérieur Ndali, Trois Rivières, Alibori Supérieur, Ouenou Beno.

The project is divided into three (3) operational components. The first component aims to (i) strengthen the capacity of the Forestry Administration for better monitoring and management of forests and (ii) create an effective tool for long-term financing of the country's gazetted forests.

The second component focuses on the integrated management of these 10 gazetted forests through sustainable management of transhumance, natural forests conservation, promotion of agroforestry systems, and finally the establishment of 15,000 ha of woodfuel plantations and 7,000 ha of timber plantations.

The third component is the development of non-timber forest products such as honey.

Our contribution:

• Establish an inventory of existing agroforestry technologies/practices currently in use at the national and regional levels in the same agroecological areas where the targeted classified forests are located and that are currently functional and efficient;
• Conduct an analysis of the different types of land cover/degradation associated with the cropping systems to be implemented in the agricultural area inside the gazetted forests, taking into account (i) the tree species already used in the plantations and (ii) the improved agroforestry or farming systems already field tested in the targeted forests;
• Prioritize the shrub/tree species to be used for agroforestry according to their intended use ("multipurpose species") and define the measures to be taken to ensure the production of the required seedlings in quantity and quality and their management in plantations in conjunction with the agricultural practices and crops already in use;
• Prepare and organize training of NGO technicians and pilot farmers identified in the different intervention area;
• Establish a methodology for the annual evaluation of the performance of farmers receiving support and the types and forms of premium measures for farmers who have achieved satisfactory results;
• Propose an approach to producer monitoring that will allow satisfactory implementation of the recommended measures;
• Support/facilitate the identification of improved seed of woody and herbaceous legumes at national and regional levels for importation into Benin;
• Support methodology for establishing/improving proven agroforestry models and facilitate monitoring and evaluation of such models.