The Countries of the Sahel: Desertification and Countermeasures

Occupation: Senior Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies RAS
Affiliation: Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Moscow, Russia

Nina V. Grishina

Occupation: Senior Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies RAS
Affiliation: Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Asia and Africa Today

Edition

Issue 12

Pages

64-67

Abstract

The article deals with the threats to the development of the economies of Sahel countries associated with the expansion of the Sahara desert.

Desertification (desertion) - the transformation into a desert of once fertile land located in arid areas - in recent decades is gaining momentum. This process is most noticeable in the Sahel countries - Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan, whose territories are in the zone of climatic influence of the Sahara - the largest desert in the world. Desertification is now seen as an integral part of the global environmental challenge.

The Sahel, as an ecological system, is considered by experts to be unstable and easily amenable to qualitative changes, as evidenced by the process of desertification, which is closely related to human activities.

Combating the desertification of the Sahel was a challenge owing to the impossibility of real action by the countries of the region themselves. Among the reasons - the lack of national projects to solve this problem, the lack of financial opportunities to attract foreign assistance, the economic weakness of the state, poverty of population.

Intensive development of arid and semiarid lands, necessary for economic activity, significantly increases the anthropogenic impact on nature. The main place in the national agricultural systems of the desert regions is traditionally given to cattle breeding, which, being the most important source of nutrition, has caused soil degradation. Thus, desertification, in addition to a number of natural factors, is associated with overexploitation of pastures in nomadic and semi-nomadic cattle breeding.

Keywords

desertification, development, agriculture, threat, Sahara, problems, food shortage, water shortage

Publication date

13.12.2019

Number of characters

13640

Cite

GOST	Ksenofontova N., Grishina N. The Countries of the Sahel: Desertification and Countermeasures // Asia and Africa Today – 2019. – Issue 12 C. 64-67 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750007659-6-1 (circulation date: 03.07.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750007659-6
MLA	Ksenofontova, Natalia A, Grishina, Nina V "The Countries of the Sahel: Desertification and Countermeasures." Asia and Africa Today 12 (2019):64-67. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750007659-6
APA	Ksenofontova N., Grishina N. (2019). The Countries of the Sahel: Desertification and Countermeasures. Asia and Africa Today (12), pp.64-67 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750007659-6

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