Research Assignment- Desertification in the Sahel

Location

Between the wetter equatoral regions of southern Africa and the Sahara desert of northern Africa lies the Sahel. This semi-arid region extends west to east from the Atlantic to the Indian ocean. In terms of climate and vegetation, this area is characterized by the extreme drought it has faced since the 1980s. Alternating wet and dry seasons are expected of this area and its rainfall has high variability, but if the rains fail, notable droughts occur as a result. The desertification of this region has led to extremely scarce vegetation.

What Are the Issues and Why Are They Occuring Here?

As mentioned prior, the variability of rainfall has dramatic effects on the region, and climate change has been linked as one major cause of these issues. Besides natural factors, the human influences on this region have led to a large influx of issues as well. The land has degraded significantly because of actions such as over grazing and poor farming methods, which accelerate the process of soil erosion. There are other factors regarding the humans of the area which have affected the region such as poverty and increased population. As the population is doubling every 20 or so years, the demand for food supply is struggling to keep up with it. People then rely on the harmful methods previously described despite the fact that they only exacerbate the issues at hand.

What is Being Done?

There are numerous steps being taken to end desertification by the locals of Africa as well as international procedures and legislatures. Naam are small groups set up by villages in Africa that fight poverty and deforestation through methods such as planting trees and finding new ways of farming. Also, over the years, numerous meetings and documents regarding providing international aid for the Sahel have been established, but one of the most recent occurred in 2007. About 85 billion dollars of donations was asked of the developed world by the UN Development Programme. They hope to provide developing countries around the world with adaptation projects funded by these reserves. Unfortunately, this is not a problem that can be easily solved, and the aid from generous people will not be enough to fight the issues experienced by the region. The problems with the climate coupled with the exponential growth of the population result in people facing problems that are too dramatic to be combatted by these means alone. It does not help that this area also is forced to compete with other underdeveloped areas around the world that face similar problems in order to earn any funding.

Effects on the People and Environment

This area is the poorest region of West Africa, and the population continues to grow at exceptional rates. Even during the years where rainfall can be described as adequate, malnutrition is at a very high rate in the Sahel. Not only is the lack of rainfall an issue, but when there is rain, it comes in strong, sporadic bursts that cause flooding and lead to a plethora of other issues for the locals to face. In addition to this, many of those who are in the working class choose to leave the area to head to more urban areas, which has led to complications regarding hunger and crime as well as urban sanitation. With the change in climate and potential for high temperatures, there are also concerns for increased epidemics such as cholera and dengue. As for the environment, the effects have undoubtedly led to deliberate consequences. Unfortunately, this area depends so heavily on the production of agriculture, but the desertification of the region has degraded the quality of the land that is imperative for the bettering of the district. Sadly, climate models show that the future of the Sahel only promises even drier conditions.

Sources

• "Backgrounder on the Sahel, West Africa's Poorest Region." IRIN. N.p., 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.
• Brough, Wayne, and Mwangi Kimenyi. "Desertification of the Sahel." PERC. N.p., 14 Feb. 2018. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.
• Cotthem, Willem Van. "The Sahel Desertified." DESERTIFICATION. N.p., 16 Feb. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.
• "Desertification and How We Can Prevent It." Desertification. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.
• "GCSE Bitesize: Case Study: Drought in the Sahel." BBC. BBC, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2018.

Sources