Mali’s drive to tackle deforestation has led farmers to resort to a sustainable new method of producing much needed charcoal without hurting their income, by preserving the trees on their land instead of cutting them down.
The “Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration” (FMNR) technique, developed by Australian agronomist Tony Rinaudo, requires cultivating tree stumps and root systems and managing when to cut tree branches instead of taking whole trees down.
Rinaudo explains that in countries where farmers have ownership rights to their land’s trees, FMNR offers a financial incentive to preserve them. “Once (farmers) have assurance that they will benefit from protecting and growing trees, they will be the fiercest defenders of those trees – against illegal cutting and forest fires.” he says.
