the sahel Flashcards
location
Transition zone between Sahara desert to the North and the wetter, tropical south-central Africa to the south
~across 10 different nations
~covers Chad, Etheopia, Niger, Burkina faso +
basic info
~population 400mill
~length 3860km, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea
~rainfall decreased by 30% since 1969
~There has been explosive population growth of 19 million (1973) to 54 million (2008)
~capital - Bamako,population has grown to 2 million in 20 years
problems
~Ruined croplands - lowered crop yields - poverty and food shortages
~Overcultization, overgrazing, deforestation and over exploitation of water resources
food insecurity
~Higher demand on food, water and firewood as the population has grown 3% a year and food has grown 2% a year
~
water resources
~water resource projects, in 1980s/1990s dams, irrigation canals and wells were built
~not successful
-The irrigation canals were too small to combat drought. The wells were built where the groundwater wasn’t easily replenished and local people kept larger herds leading to more overgrazing
green wall
~initial aim
-To plant a line of trees from East to West through the African Desert.
-to stop soil degradation
-increase land productivity
-protect from wind erosion
~length 7000km long and 15km wide
~aims
-To form a mosaic of interventions.
With the overall aim to strengthen resilience of the region’s people:
-ecosystem managment
-sustainable development
-improve local’s living conditions
- bottum up
-need 33 bill, 2024 has 15$ bill
specific issues
~rainfall fluctuates
-29/36 last yrs below average
~poor quality soil - degraded land - migration - cant farm/ lowered yeild - poverty cycle
~corrupt governments - civil war/ conflict - Burcina faso conflict since 2019 - more than 1/20 ppl forced to flee from violence
~limited education - female- less than 50% adult females are literate
~sahel grwing at rapid rate 10x in past 10 yrs
physical threats
~infertile soils
explanation - little vegetation, little deposition
management - planting pits dug in existing fields before onset rains
~exposure to high winds
explanation - winds remove moist air from around trees, increases evapotranspiration, removes organic matter from surface
mangement- pits, GM crops
~changes in albedo
- glaciers melt, sea levels rise becomes darker, more energy absorbed, more extreme eratic weather
- sahel lighter, due to overgrazing , energy back into atmosphere- climate change
-accacia project, re-greening
~changes in rainfall pattern
- heavy rain erode soils
-summer rain quickly ost to evapotranspiration
- pits, GM crops
human threats
~rapid pop growth
-330mill by 2050
-3 mill displaced due to armed conflict
-29mill ppl in need of humanitarian help
~ land grabbing
-agribussiness increasingly looking to aquire land
-no legal land tenatures
+ improve legal rights of farmers to land ownership
~overgrazing and cultivation
- population growth - results in overuse of land to grow crops , soil doesnt have time to recover
+ educate farmers
+ diversify crops by rotating
+ drought resisitant crop varieties
~increased deforistation
-for fuel wood
+ regeneration from coppacing tree stumps
