This study aims to understand the agro-ecological effect of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) on the yield of millet in the groundnut basin in Senegal. The study was conducted in three villages in the municipality of Tattaguine for two consecutive years. Methodology and Results : The methodology was to assess the performance parameters of millet in an experimental factorial block with two factors: number of stems per strain and variety of millet. Meanwhile, perception surveys were conducted with producers on the various combinations tested. The results show that the FMNR with 4 stems/strain obtained in the two years a significantly higher number of fertile ears compared to the control. The grain yield difference between control plots and plots RNA (2 stems/strain and 4 stems/strain) started from the second year. This translates to a minimum by a 41% increase in yields at the RNA plots compared to controls. Surveys show that perceptions of all producers agree that millet performs better near regenerating shrubs. The majority of them prefer to keep 1 or 2 stems/strain. Conclusion and application of results:This study provides technical arguments to local actors for a large-scale spread of RNA that has a positive share agro-ecological and secondly, if adopted will contribute to the reconstruction parkland groundnut basin.

Dynamique de la végétation ligneuse des espaces sylvo-pastoraux villageois mis en défens dans le Sud du Bassin arachidier au Sénégal B O I S E T F O R Ê T S D E S T R O P I Q U E S , 2 0 1 4 , N° 3 1 9 ( 1 ) M I SE E N DÉ FE N S / LE P OIN T SUR… RÉSUMÉ DYNAMIQUE DE LA VÉGÉTATION LIGNEUSE DES ESPACES SYLVO-PASTORAUX VILLAGEOIS MIS EN DÉFENS DANS LE SUD DU BASSIN ARACHIDIER AU SÉNÉGAL ABSTRACT DYNAMICS OF WOODY VEGETATION IN VILLAGE WOODLAND AND GRAZING RESERVES IN SOUTH SENEGAL'S GROUNDNUT BASINIn Senegal, and especially in the groundnut basins, woodlands and pastures lying between villages are being overexploited and are at risk of disappearing with the extension of croplands and uncontrolled wood-cutting for firewood and charcoal. Local populations have been attempting to counter the risk by restricting access to these lands to promote conservation and land rehabilitation. This study assesses the process of reconstitution of the vegetation in the village woodland and grazing reserves created. It was conducted in the southern groundnut basin in sites where reserves have been in place for one, five and twelve years. The results of the inventory show lower species diversity in the one year-old stands, with 27 distinct species, than in the other two age categories, where some 50 different species were found. The analysis of variance of the structural parameters shows a significant difference in the average diameter and height of trees according to the age of the three stand types. After five years, the diameter curve for the trees is L-shaped, reflecting the regular dynamics of a young tree stand, while the curve after twelve years has the characteristic bell shape of woodlands reaching a state of equilibrium. Regeneration capacities are high in all of the reserved lands, indicating good prospects for the restoration of these degraded natural woodlands.Keywords: reserved lands, woodland and grazing areas, structural characteristics, regeneration, village communities, Senegal. RESUMEN DINÁMICA DE LA VEGETACIÓN LEÑOSA DE LOS ESPACIOS SILVOPASTORILES COMUNALES VEDADOS EN EL SUR DE LA CUENCA MANISERA DE SENEGALEn Senegal, concretamente en la cuenca manisera, los espacios silvopastoriles intercomunales están sobreexplotados y amenazados de desaparición por la extensión de tierras de cultivo y las talas incontroladas para leña y carbón. Ante la amenaza de desaparición de estos espacios, las poblaciones contiguas han acometido acciones de conservación y rehabilitación de dichos espacios mediante la aplicación de una veda. Este estudio evalúa el proceso de reconstitución de la vegetación de los espacios silvopastoriles intercomunales a raíz de su protección. El estudio se realizó en el sur de la cuenca manisera, en la región de Kaolack, dentro de los sitios vedados y escalonando las edades: un año, cinco años y doce años. Los resultados del inventario muestran una baja diversidad específica, veintisiete especies distintas, en la veda de un año frente a las dos otras categorías que poseen unas cincuenta especies diferentes...

<p>Agro-silvo-pastoralism is a highly representative Land Use in Africa, often presented as a strategical option for ecological intensification of cropping systems towards food security and sovereignty.</p><p>We set up a new long-term observatory (“Faidherbia-Flux”) to monitor and model microclimate, energy and C balance in Niakhar (central Senegal, rainfall ~ 500 mm), dominated by the multipurpose tree Faidherbia albida (12.5 m high; 7 tree ha<sup>-1</sup>; 5% canopy cover). Faidherbia is an attractive agroforestry tree species in order to partition fluxes, given that it is on leaf during the dry season (October-June) and defoliated during the wet season, just when crops take over. Pearl-millet and groundnut crops were conducted during the wet season, following annual rotation in a complex mixed mosaic of ca. 1 ha fields.</p><p>Early 2018, we installed an eddy-covariance (EC) tower above the whole mosaic (EC1: 20 m high). A second EC system was displayed above the crop (EC2: 4.5 m if pearl-millet, 2.5 m if groundnut) in order to partition ecosystem EC fluxes between tree layer and crop+soil layers. Sap-flow was monitored from April 2019 onwards in 5 faidherbia trees (37 sensors).</p><p>The ecosystem displayed moderate but significant daily CO<sub>2</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>O fluxes during the dry season, when faidherbia (low canopy cover) was in leaf and the soil was evaporating. At the onset of the rainy season, the soil bursted a large amount of CO<sub>2</sub>. Just after the growth of pearl-millet in 2018, CO<sub>2</sub> uptake by photosynthesis increased dramatically. However, this was largely compensated by high ecosystem respiration. Surprisingly in 2019, although the crop was turned to groundnut, the fluxes behaved pretty much the same as with pearl millet in 2018: comparing annual balances between 2018 and 2019 we obtained [454, 513] for rainfall (P: mm yr<sup>-1</sup>), [3500, 3486] for potential evapotranspiration (ETo: mm yr<sup>-1</sup>), [0.13, 0.15] for P/ETo, [470, 497] for actual evapotranspiration (E: mm yr<sup>-1</sup>), [2809, 2785] for net radiation (R<sub>n</sub>: MJ m<sup>-2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>), [1686, 1645] for sensible heat flux (H: MJ m<sup>-2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>),  [-3.2, -2.8] for net ecosystem exchange of C (NEE: tC ha<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>), [-11.8, -11.1] for gross primary productivity (GPP: tC ha<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>) and [8.6, 8.3] for ecosystem respiration (R<sub>e</sub>: tC ha<sup>-1</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup>). The energy balance (R<sub>n</sub>-H-LE) was nearly nil indicating that the EC system behaved reasonably. E was very close to P, indicating that little or no water would recharge the deep soil layers.</p><p>Now comparing the dry (2/3 of the year) and wet (1/3) seasons: surprisingly, NEE was more effective during the dry season [-3.9, -1.7]. This was the result of R<sub>e</sub> being much lower on a daily basis as well as cumulated over the entire seasons [57, 84], whereas GPP was similar [-10.8, -12.1].</p><p>We found a good match between E measured above the whole ecosystem (EC1), and the sum of tree transpiration (T, measured by sapflow) + E measured just above crops + soil (EC2) throughout the wet and dry seasons.</p><p>The “Faidherbia-Flux” observatory is registered in FLUXNET as SN-Nkr and is widely open for collaboration.</p>