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In Niger, literature from the years 1990–2020 shows a rapid regression in the surface areas of forest, an abundant regeneration of trees in some cultivated areas, and a sharp increase in the consumption of wood energy in cities and the countryside, with this wood increasingly coming from parklands. This study, carried out in 2015–2019 on the outskirts of Niamey, aimed to assess the economic benefits for households of parkland fuelwood production and the ecological state of the parklands. Surveys were carried out among 90 farmers to assess the contribution of fuelwood to their household income. Semi-structured interviews with focus groups were conducted in 3 villages to determine farmers' strategies and practices. The inventory of the trees in the parklands was carried out in 3 villages (5000 ha per village). Most rural households have an income diversification strategy to cope with the vagaries of agricultural production. Among these revenues, the sale of fuelwood occupies on average a small place (4 to 10%). To explain their reduced use of assisted natural regeneration (ANR) for the restoration of parklands, farmers point to the difficulty in exploiting wood pruned from their trees due to conflicts of use with livestock herders, taxes and fines from environmental services agencies. Trees and shrubs in parklands have a low diversity (24 species) and low density (5–8 trees/ha). The low density of young trees indicates that during the past decade, there have been fewer efforts to enrich parklands compared to the 1980s, when ANR projects were first implemented. The 3 parklands studied are in the process of becoming severely degraded because dead old trees are no longer replaced through ANR. The Economic importance of fuelwod in family resources is not a sufficient trigger factor for farmers to restore their parklands but could support village's interest for sustainable management of natural forests. These results should serve to alert public authorities and aid organizations that research and development actions must be launched to reverse this deterioration trend in parklands.

Description du sujet. La baisse et l’irrégularité des pluies modifient considérablement les saisons culturales, ce qui oblige les paysans à une restructuration du calendrier agricole en s’appuyant sur les savoirs locaux. Objectifs. L’objectif de cette étude est de valoriser les savoirs locaux utilisés par les paysans dans la gestion du calendrier agricole. Les objectifs spécifiques sont, d’une part, d’inventorier les indicateurs biophysiques utilisés dans la définition des calendriers culturaux et, d’autre part, de déterminer les espèces végétales repères communes aux trois zones écologiques étudiées. Méthode. Ce but fut atteint grâce à des interviews semi-directes individuelles et via des focus groups auprès d’un échantillon de 689 agriculteurs répartis dans 65 localités. Résultats. Il ressort que la totalité des paysans enquêtés utilisent des marqueurs temporels dans la définition des calendriers culturaux, surtout dans la reconnaissance des débuts de saison pluvieuse (période de semis) et de saison sèche (période de récolte). Il s’agit principalement des indicateurs biologiques tels que la phénologie des plantes (en saison sèche : Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq. [floraison], Spathodea campanulata P.Beauv. [floraison], Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertn. [fructification] et en saison pluvieuse : Millettia thonningii (Schum. & Thonn.) Baker [floraison], V. paradoxa [floraison], Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf. [floraison], Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. [éclatement du fruit]). Au total, 67 espèces végétales ont été recensées comme indicateurs des variations des saisons agricoles. Outre les espèces végétales, la migration saisonnière des oiseaux (73 %), l’apparition des insectes (48 %), mais aussi des indicateurs abiotiques comme le sens du vent (100 %), les observations des étoiles (82 %) et le déplacement des nuages (69 %) sont utilisés comme repères dans la gestion des périodes agricoles. Conclusions. La connaissance de ces signaux permet aux paysans d’anticiper sur d’éventuelles variabilités climatiques et suivre, diriger et adapter leurs activités culturales. Ces savoirs locaux constituent dès lors une aubaine pour l’adaptation aux changements climatiques., Local knowledge on temporal indicators in the Guinean zone of TogoDescription of the subject. Important changes in cropping seasons caused by a decrease and erratic patterns in rainfall have forced farmers to redefine their agricultural calendars, which are based on local knowledge.Objectives. The objective of this study was to promote local knowledge used in farming schedules. The specific objectives were to identify biophysical indicators used for planning cropping calendars, and to determine the target plant species common to all ecological zones.Method. In total, 689 farmers distributed through 65 localities were surveyed through semi-direct interviews and focus group discussions.Results. All respondent farmers reported relying on temporal markers for defining their cropping calendars, especially the recognition of the onset of the rainy season (sowing period) and rainfall cessation or the dry season (harvesting period). These biological indicators are mainly related to plant phenology, especially flowering (Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq., Spathodea campanulata P.Beauv.) and fruiting (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F.Gaertn.), which are used to indicate the beginning of the dry season. The flowering of Millettia thonningii (Schum. & Thonn.) Baker, V. paradoxa, Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf. and the opening of ripened fruits (Ceiba pentandra [L.] Gaertn.) are used to identify the onset of the rainy season. A total of 67 species were identified as indicators of agricultural seasons. In addition to these plant species, the seasonal migration of birds (73%), and of insects (48%); and some abiotic indicators such as wind direction (100%), star observations (82%) and cloud movement (69%) were reportedly used as landmarks in farming time management.Conclusions. Knowledge about these signals is useful for anticipating possible climate variability based on traditional meteorological forecasting and for guiding local cropping calendars. This local knowledge regarding temporal markers is therefore relevant for agricultural adaptation to climate change.