1. Desertification in the Sahel Region-Burkina Faso
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The Sahel region of Africa has been suffering from drought on a
regular basis since the early 1980s. The area naturally experiences
alternating wet and dry seasons. If the rains fail it can cause drought. In
addition to natural factors, the land is marginal. Human activities such as
overgrazing, over cultivation and the collection of firewood can lead to
desertification, particularly when combined with drought conditions.
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The result is crop failure, soil erosion, famine and hunger:
people are then less able to work when their need is greatest. It becomes a
vicious circle and can result in many deaths, especially among infants and the
elderly. In Niger in 2004, the situation was made worse when a plague of
locusts consumed any remaining crops. In these cases, people rely on food
aid from the international community.
What are the causes of desertification?
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Overcultivation: the land is continually used for crops and does
not have time to recover eventually al the nutrients are depleted (taken out)
and the ground eventually turns to dust.
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Overgrazing: In some areas animals have eaten all the
vegetation leaving bare soil.
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Deforestation: Cutting down trees leaves soil open to erosion by
wind and rain.
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Climate Change: Decrease in rainfall and rise in temperatures
causes vegetation to die
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In Burkina Faso as the population grows the land surrounding
villages must be more intensively
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Desertification reduces soil fertility, particularly base cation
content, organic matter content, pore space, and water-retention capacity.
Desertification also reduces vegetative productivity, leading to long-term
declines in agricultural yields, livestock yields, plant standing biomass, and
plant biodiversity. These changes reduce the ability of the land to support
people
What are the consequences for the savanna biome?

2. ▪
Lack of vegetation for grazing will be severe as it is in an
LEDC
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Crop failure will lead to famine and possibly death for
people eg Ethiopia in 1984
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Rural to Urban migration will occur as people leave the
countryside
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Refugees may cross borders in search for food
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Every year 12 million hectares of land are becoming a
desert
What is being done to reduce the impact of desertification?
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Afforestation - newly planted trees need water, which will be a
problem in a drought stricken region.
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Building stone lines - reduces soil erosion, but is a labour intensive
process which diverts the community from tasks essential to their survival.
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Decreasing livestock - solves the problem of overgrazing but requires
people to adapt if they rely on cattle or goats for their livelihoods.
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In 1992, Burkina was one of the early signers of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was negotiated
that same year. At the end of 2006, an interdisciplinary group of experts,
working under the authority of the Ministry of the Environment, drew up a
National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA), designed to initiate concrete
responses to the challenges of climate change. The plan has been adopted
by the government.
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“Even though the situation in Burkina is not today catastrophic,”
explains Mamadou Honadia, a member of the NAPA coordinating committee
and Burkina’s former national focal point for the UN convention, “there are
grounds for concern and to take action to mobilize the necessary financial and
human resources to address the impact of this phenomenon.”
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Mossi in Burkina Faso have achieved doubling of tree densities
in certain semi-arid areas with Acacia trees