Desertification is not inevitable and with careful management of water resources, the soil and vegetation via tree planting, we can limit the spread of deserts. We have even managed to reverse the effects of desertification. Many of the techniques used have used appropriate technology, which is suited to the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of local people in the environment which they live.
Strategy 1 - Tree Planting
In the Senegal region of the Sahel (a 5,000km long belt of land that separates the Southern part of Africa from the Sahara) the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN is trying to help in the fight against desertification. Less than 50 years ago land in this region of the Sahel was productive Savannah, but is now dry desert because of decades of climate change and over intensive farming, forestry and land degradation. This has led to vegetation disappearing.
A project focussing on Acacia or gum trees is trying to help. The FAO and forestry service have provided plant nurseries to grow seeds and seedlings. The locals were also taught how to sow and plant the Acacia trees, and how to extract and market the gum they produce.
They were also given a tractor and digger tool specially adapted to dryland conditions. It cuts half-moon shaped holes which collect rainwater ensuring that the young plant roots will have enough water to survive the long dry season. This also massively reduces the amount of labour needed.
Planting the trees reverses desertification by preventing soil erosion and providing nutrients for other plants and crops to grow. The tree is a native tree, it puts nutrients back into the soil, provides shelter for crops under its branches and provides fodder for livestock.
The knock-on effects have been good for the whole community.
Strategy 2 - Stone Lines - Water and Soil Management/Appropriate Technology
In Burkina Faso in the Sahel, lines of stones have been used to reduce soil erosion.
The lines of stones trap the rainwater that falls and slow down run off, allowing it time to infiltrate the ground and rich sediments to be trapped in the field. This results in less erosion and more water for the crops.
Farmers were trained in laying out contours using a simple tool called a water tube level. They marked out the contours and dug out a foundation trench. Large stones are then placed into this trench followed by smaller ones. Grasses can also be planted along the barrier. The villagers work together and it is a collective effort.
It is appropriate technology as it is low cost and requires skills that can be quickly learned.
Barren land has been restored and vegetation re-established so the scheme has been a big success.