Restoring palm grovesto protect oasis ecosystems in Djibouti

Around 30% of inhabitants in the Republic of Djibouti live in rural areas, where the economy primarily depends on livestock breeding and subsistence farming. However, there is vast scope for development in these sectors: currently, only 1,680 hectares of land are under cultivation out of a potential 10,000 hectares. Djibouti's low agricultural yields meet barely 10% of the population's food needs, leaving it dependent on imports.

That is why the country's date palm groves are so crucially important. These trees are well-adapted to arid conditions, with their resistance to drought and saline soil, not only producing dates but also providing materials for artisanry, buildings and firewood. However, palm groves are facing numerous threats, due to maturing trees and the impact of climate change, which is causing a decline in production and biodiversity.

Date palms are also unusual in that only the female plants bear fruit. However, their gender can only be identified after 5 or 6 years of age. Farmers must continue tending to both male and female plants, with no guarantee of their productivity.

The aim of this project is to restore Djibouti’s palm groves, which are currently under threat due to maturing trees and the effects of climate change. Early gender identification technology can be used to maximize production by selecting solely female plants, the only date palms that bear fruit, while limiting the costs associated with growing unproductive male plants.

The Djibouti Study and Research Center is applying biomolecular technology to identify male and female plants from their first few months of growth. The project will also provide professional training to its laboratory staff so that they can conduct wide-scale gender identification of these plants and meet the growing demand from farmers. At the same time, partnerships will be established with plant nurseries to produce and distribute sexed plants suited to local conditions. In addition, farmers will be trained in sustainable palm grove management to help boost the productivity and resilience of oasis ecosystems.

The project will initially target around one hundred beneficiaries, and aims to demonstrate the impact of this technology on the incomes of rural communities. This initiative is directly addressing the issues of palm grove profitability and resilience, while protecting local biodiversity, supporting Djibouti's rural communities and improving food security over the long term.

This project aims to produce tangible results to make Djibouti's palm groves more sustainable and improve the living conditions of rural communities by:

• Developing local infrastructure and capacity : workers at the local molecular biology laboratory will be trained to conduct routine sexing of seedlings on a large scale, while viable and sustainable plant nurseries will be established to grow and distribute sexed seedlings. A seed conservatory will also be set up to protect local plant varieties and provide a constant supply.
• Improving palm groves and farming practices : palm groves will be restructured and sexed seedlings will be introduced to increase their productivity, resilience and profitability. Farmers will be trained to develop their skills in sustainable palm grove management.
• Making a socio-economic and nutritional impact : increased palm grove yields will help rural families to earn higher incomes and increase their food and nutritional security.

Over the long term, this project will improve palm grove management in Djibouti and could serve as a model for early sexing technology to be adopted on a regional and international scale.