food production - shortage, Sahel Flashcards
what are some general causes that are natural?
- soil exhaustion
- drought
- floods
- tropical cyclones
- pests
- diseases
what are some general human causes?
- low capital investment
- rapidly rising population
- poor distribution
- conflict situations
what is the specific cause of food shortage in Sahel?
drought
- lack of water, below average in that area, for an extended period of time
where is Sahel?
in africa
- north of Africa, south of desert
- west coast to east coast
what are some countries the Sahel region goes through?
sudan, niger, chad, etc
goes through ten countries
what is the Sahel?
an area of ecosystem transition between desert and savannah
how much rainfall does the Sahel get?
100mm/year of rainfall
- very concentrated, single season of 2 weeks to a few months
how wide is the Sahel region?
1000km wide
why has the drought gotten worse in sahel?
- Climate change is making rainfall more unpredictable
how has the drought effected grains?
grain production had decreased by a 1/3
so prices have increased
how many people have been forced to migrate?
2 milion
what is happening to the children?
1 mill suffering from acute malnutrition
what is happening to the land?
arable land is shrinking bc people move onto the good land
what other case study details are there?
- competition for land and sources
- because people are moving to already resource poor areas, it worsens the area as well
how many people faced a food crisis in 2012?
18.7 million
what is the solution in emergencies?
food aid
what are the different types of food aid?
Relief food aid
- Delivered directly to people in times of crisis
Programmed food aid
- Provided directly to the government of a country for sale in local markets (conditions from donor country)
Project food aid
- Targeted at specific groups of people as part of longer term development work
what is a sustainable solution?
great green wall
- Trees
- Measures 8,000 km long
- Spans 11 countries
what do trees do to help?
○ Trees = prevent soil erosion, CO2 -> oxygen, protection to the soil from wind, make environment more moist, shade, leaves provide compost
how long is the great green wall?
8000 km long and spans 11 African countries
what are the three projects devoted to stopping desertification?
- sustainable farming methods = planting trees to reduce loss of fertile soil
- using more fuel efficient wood stoves, smaller amounts of wood = allows more trees to grow and less smoke inhalation
- laying low stone bunds. form a barrier that slows down water runoff = rainwater seeps into ground and makes soil fertile, nutrient rich etc
what is desertification?
land that was fertile but became a desert due to lack of water + other things
