B. Sahel

Question 1

Give an example demonstrating the importance of aid in the Sahel region?

Answer 1

World Population Foundation (WPF) reported that the international response to the 2012 drought in Sahel region averted a humman catastrophe.

• 2012 = $1.2bn worth of assistance provided to 8 million people
• 2013 = WPF emergency operations formed a plan to support 5.5 million people feeling the effects

Question 2

What did aid agencies prioritise when donating aid?

Answer 2

• Immediate food assistance - bringing food to millions of people including special foods for growing children - combating symptoms of desertification
• Building long-term resilience e.g. developing methods to limit soil erosion and desertification

Question 3

What measures does sustainable farming include?

Answer 3

• Building earth dams to store water in the wet season and provide drinking water / irrigation in the dry season
• Planting trees to act as shelter belts to reduce aeolian erosion and to hold the soil together to reduce fluvial erosion.
• Encouraging mixed farming so that animal manure provides fertiliser and adds humus to the soil
• Reducing stock densities to prevent overgrazing
• Contour ploughing and terracing to reduce fluvial erosion
• Providing education about crop rotation

Question 4

How has the United Nations adopted a sustainable farming approach in the Sahel?

Answer 4

They have adopted this approach by:

• Planting young trees - woodland trees e.g. acacia and fruit trees
• Providing firewood / solar-powered cookers to prevent existing trees from being cut down

Question 5

What is the Great Green Wall?

Answer 5

Planting of trees in a 15km wide wall across the Sahel to reduce the growth of the Sahara.

Originally planned to be 7775 km long and involve 11 countries, the scheme has been extended to involve more than 20.

Question 6

What are the aims of the Great Green Wall?

Answer 6

• Stop erosion and desertification of the Sahel
• Protect water sources e.g. Lake Chad
• Restore and create habitats for biodiversity
• Provide an energy resource through fuelwood
• Provide fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs
• Support local economic development
• Promote political stability
• Encourage local and international cooperation
• Fight poverty
• Stop young people migrating from the region

Question 7

How has the Great Green Wall progressed since tree planting started in 2011?

Answer 7

• In Senegal, 12 million trees have been planted, primarily indigenous, drought-resistant acacias
• Conflict in South Sudan and Mali has affected progress in those areas

Question 8

What are the criticisms of the Great Green Wall?

Answer 8

• Some people believe that future world climatic warming may cause the area to become even drier
• Planting non-indigenous trees not adapted to drought may be an error
• Ownership of the trees is not entirely clear: UNFAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) believes that consultations with local communities and ensuring their involvement is intergral to the project