As the seas rise around Bangladesh, countries in Africa face the challenge of spreading deserts.
The Great Green Wall initiative aims to plant trees from West to East Africa to slow the expansion of the Sahara Desert.
The World Bank, the European Union, and countries, including France, with higher carbon footprints, have pledged $14bn to make that happen.
But communities affected by the growing desert in Senegal say the project is failing.
Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports from Mbar Toubab deep in Senegal’s Sahel region.
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#Senegal #GreatGreenWall #Desertification
Sahara will never be green again pointless of trying to make it green
W̶I̶Z̶C̶O̶O̶シ Sahara just means desert and what I said is there no point of trying to make it green cos it’s still going to expand anyway
dude, they are’t trying to to make the Sahara green, it’s the sahel, and they are only planting trees to stop desertification, not make the Sahel green or sahara, planting trees will bring rain, stoping desertification
Too many people… too many problems…
Yet they have huge fertility rates and having rapidly growing populations. Africans don’t seem to think about their population growth and resources
@tom jones nothing is wrong with having as many babies as u want as long as u take care of them nothing is wrong with it plus everyone is free to do what they want stop belittling people Africa have the resources and the land for everyone around the world to live here peace, love and prosperity and have as many kids as possible i want to leave army and clan not 1 kid lol I want my name to rise not fall just like Gengis Khan lol
@young E africa is a big continent many parts of africa do not have enormous resources and in the countries that do there is vast inequality wealth as wealth is concentrated in hands of few. How come so many corrupt African politicians have total disregard for the welfare of their own people?
And who can calculate the the unintended devastation and future consequences brought on by unprecedented population growth?
@tom jones bro for example now im from Somalia originally right in the media they say Somalia is in famine but we have the longest coast in Africa witch is 3,333KM square meters again the population of somalia is 16M approximately we have 2 different lakes that run from the highlands of Ethiopia all the way to the Indian Ocean again we have fertile land fresh water and 14 millions of camel, 4.9m of cows, not to mention the goats and natural resources we have so ye we are blessed as somalis and we are 100% muslim country we can marry 4 wives if we wish to still u hear somalia is in famine this and that is propaganda that people tell each other to control population bro maybe I would say maybe if u r in Sahara desert landlocked with little water to drink yes and yes I would say y’all north Africans are welcome to Somalia even Yamenis and Syrians in Somalia now they opened businesses and dental places and hospitals and again I do agree and I don’t at the same time it depends on where in Africa u r talking about
@tom jones african leaders been known to be sell out let’s be real bro history speaks for itself couple hundred years ago some leaders were selling and buying their own kind what makes u think any of those leaders really care about Africa plus western countries seem to have this point of view when it comes to Africa resources in Africa will never run out that itself is mind set where Africans seem to adopt instead of focusing in rebuilding Africa everyone wants to have massive castles fast cars with no roads and electricity 😕 right now Ethiopia is making Dam im sure u heard about it by now and that Dam can help 1b houses to have electricity and with cheap price but the rest of the nile countries aren’t cool with it because they don’t want to have water shortages but dont see the big picture and is just matter of time before the Dam being filled and then they will get their water as usual and on the long run everyone will have electricity and it will be cheap not to mention the Sahara desert is shifting south meaning the biggest trouble Africa is facing today is Sahara desert expansion that needs to put to stop if we want to have future in Africa otherwise we will be like the middle east and with no oil in all parts of Africa this will be big problem we as Africans facing my brother
@Encrypted whens the last time anything was properly done in Africa?
You can see them planting the wrong way. In the places where permaculture knowledge was used this isn’t happening. So it isn’t the project nor the funding it’s the science or lack thereof.
Niger has 20 million and by 2060 it will have 70 million people. A country that is mostly desert with one river that flows through the country as their primary source of survival. Stop breeding and over working the land. The fulani people are a problem for the increasing desertification of the Sahel as their population is now close to 100 million people and as a majority nomadic people their cattle herders are over grazing the lands that have for centuries were lacking in rainfall.
That’s smart, animals to eat the little green and drink the little water there is. What a genius
So, you are a vegetarian??
@Mali2K11 He is more responsible for his local environment. If he degrade the land with cows the local people will die. If scientists would not research these topics those locals would only realize that there is no water.
@cairo Im sure he is well aware of it unfortunately options are limited. Give them an example of viable alternative for them survive. Right now It’s a choice between die now or die later.
This is not smart. An animal consumes so much more water than plants.
It’s definitely a very nuanced conversation. There needs to funding to pay these people to not graze as many (or any) animals and ensure they have access to food and clean water in addition to the funds used to restore the land.
So while the livestock are part of the problem, we cannot necessarily blame them if it’s their only source of income and food security.
But ultimately, I hear you. The strategy needs to be reworked to better account for the fact that the initiative often does not provide immediate returns, the immediate returns that many of these people need.
I know people like this. They cant see the bigger picture because life is tough already. In Somalia i met people with the same mindset but once i broke it down they understood (well they already knew but didn’t understand that it was world wide). Give them an alternative and approach them sincerely and they will get themselves out of their situation. Look at yacouba sawadogo.
Yea. Lack of education.
Great more people contributing to global warming
@Dirty Harry You mean the people who have contributed the least and have been affected the most.
This is bad, 💔… Thats means in the next 10 years… More migration for the southern side
No they are going to get pushed back. They can’t just cross borders. No civilized society is putting up with that.
@anonymous but South and Central must try and help with containing the desert expansion
I don’t understand African geography. Is southern Africa more livable than northern Africa?
You need to use permaculture …
They need solar powered desalination plants and a canal running the length of the Green Wall.
its a desert
Sigh. The amount of resources we allow to just wither away is sad. Stop tying to me utopias out of uninhabitable land. Humans need to stop destroying watersheds.
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Shouldn’t they plant those trees more denser, even in a smaller / thinner area? i think this cannot retain any moisture at all when they are sparse..
yes in clusters where the trees protect each other, shade the ground and keep the water in.
Vegetation in deserts competes for the limited amount of water that is available. Their main sources of water are precipitation (which is scarce and unreliable) and groundwater. If they grew the plants too close to each other, only one or two of the trees would survive and the rest would wither and die. The vegetation might have very shallow, widespread roots which is a typical adaptation of vegetation in deserts. By keeping the vegetation sparse, the roots can spread and maximise the amount of water each tree, shrub etc gets.
@tartag The goal is to change it from desert to forest no? Trees growing close together shade the earth increasing moisture, allowing more life under their canopy. They improve the soil and help with moisture retention.
@Kyle Serdan They need pioneer plants and shrubs first to build up moisture in the soil and raise the humus content. Only then can trees grow. You can’t just start with trees and expect it to work.
@Kyle Serdan
Actually the Sahel was savanna grassland. This has become desert because of overgrazing; the idea is to stop the degradation but without water, how can the acacias survive.?
Its the start of the end . The uk is spending an extra 16 billion on nukes so were betting on nukies ! Stuff the climate emergency ! . Do we have to wait for the idiot generation to die off ?
Plantings trees without water conservation is useless. Establish water resourvers at first before doing anything.
good
Meanwhile I put water in balloons and throw at kids 😭
Watching this makes me want a glass of water
Same I unconsciously reached for my bottle
Either change your ways, so you can survive or die out in the dessert. You guys need to stop being a hunter and gather society. It’s been 3000 years already.
So you try to make a smart comment and talk nonsense? They aren’t hunter gatherers. Go find out what the term means before showing your ignorance smh.
how can a die in the dessert? i can’t die in a pie, but too much pie and cake and stuff probably can kill you, eventually.
I hate Al Jazeera new full of fake news just like western fake news
This segment is designed to discourage. Throw in some terrorists in the end for good measure. They use anecdotal evidence to shape a narrative of faillure. Meanwhile, they don’t mention how the project is actually going:
In Senegal, where this is shot, at least 800,000 hectares have been restored since 2007. Across the Sahel, the number is around 18 million. The aim is 100 million hectares by 2030, so the progress has been too slow so far (only about 18% completed). Nonetheless, I would say it is worth reporting the progress, rather than just focusing in on isolated failures and tragedy.
Bro, 18% is a massive failure
@Keksimus Maximus not really the first few trees in an area have a harder time surviving than the last.
This can be done. for every excuse, there is a solution.
French government is a selfish,arrogant and still racist because of the colonial past.And they are neo colonizing africa and take the resources.
Climate refugees. So heartbreaking
The Great Green Wall can be a part, a really strong part of the answer to the global climate crisis and the problem of climate refugees.
How is a green wall gona work IF IT DOESNT RAIN
Pakai sistem pipanisasi
Maybe this is why ancient people migrated out of Arica
Maybe so but also many people stayed in Africa. I have found a book by Alice Roberts very interesting in describing the spread of humans around the world from our African origins. Even racists have African ancestry!
africa was greener thousands of year ago. but if you look at the area they left in east africa, there were lots of lions and stuff, so i’m sure the animals, etc. made it rough. what we called the middle east was greener too.
Its africa.what do you expect? 😂
“We will not stop herding”. There lies the absolute stupidity of a culture marooned and cataract -visioned”.
they can herd and help biodiversity, but they have to leatn regenerative grazing.
This is a kind of “what do you mean you cant plant trees in the desert?” sort of stuff right here….
There’s no water
THey are doing everything bad. They have to plant a variety of plant species, they have to plant them more tight so they can retain moisture on soil. Then plant layers of different plants. First of all is about targeting soil. They are wasting money. And then they have to use cattle in regenerative grazing, it seems thay those men exploit all the grass to the limit.
I generally agree with your assessment in this particular case. The initiative spans multiple countries, communities, and cultures. Some areas are performing significantly better than others, but it’s probably very challenging to pass the successes onward simply due to the lack of infrastructure, education, and cooperation.
they should plant coconut it doesnt water to grow just moist in the air is enough
You do not need to live in the Sahel to play your part in building the Great Green Wall. For example Tree Aid is planting in Ethiopia and for a short time more the UK government is equal-matching donations.
Also I use the search engine Ecosia and I view adverts through Tree App. Both these ways support the planting of trees around the world.
Let us soak up carbon dioxide and create many other good effects through having planting trees. Of course the protection of natural forests is also vital.
They need to plant the trees in clusters, follow Yacouba Sawadogo’s example of ancient agricultural techniques of building pits to plant the trees in, fertilize them with animal dung and like other posters say conserve the water that comes from rainy seasons.
they just complaining need water rather than planting tree like Yacouba has did.
al Jazeera fake new.
If this is a World Bank funded project, why do they not employ people who know what they are doing, to design and manage the development? We have the solutions, we just need to apply them appropriately. I sense there is more to this situation than is apparent in this video….
It’s not even funded lol the millions of dollars is no where to be seen, I’m sure it was some tactic to just syphon the money
@Jonathan Rodriguez Sounds likely, so many “projects” and causes funded by corporate states and global organisations are just money laundering exercises to further other agendas….
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When they plant more tree they will retain water. These water will be present in well, small stream, river and ponds. Water can not be created but it should be preserved for full year use. If you will not cover the earth by big trees all water will flow and evaporate.
But if you plant big trees the water will not flow it will go down in the earth increase under ground water level.
Big tree will allow to grow small plants and bush under them for full year because below the big tree lots of water and moisture is present. By these all land will be covered by tree, bush, small plant and grass.
This will stop or very slow the evaporation of water.
But the trees first need water themselves, in order to grow. Wesley Callison is right – you’re not supposed to plant trees.
China tried the same thing, decades ago, only to suffer horrible losses.
You need to green the desert first by growing heat-resistant but useful grasses first, to protect the water table.
China’s big mistake was to grow trees first, not perennials. The trees exhausted what little water there was before dying.
@Mei Lin Chan Dear don’t plant a tree which is not of same place. You plant local trees only which is suitable to local soil, Climate, temperature and other things.
Trees will ultimately generate water, grasses, wildlife will return, land restored, moisture will come back and water may be restored in aquifers
Christ these people are retarded. They literally never learn.
Plant perennial grasses first. Get that ground covered. If possible. That will cool everything down and pump carbon into the soil. Plant trees after the soil is covered. Then do not over graze. Limited grazing would be beneficial after the covering plants are well established.
Restore land with trees, grass, berms n water will come back.
They need more trees n grasses.
Trees, grasses will restore land, water will come then he can feed his cattle.
It’s funny they need water but they don’t want to plant the tree. No tree no water bro… Your reporter just look simplicity.. This is a huge natural conservation project who need whole Endurance both fund and time. They are complaining hard to grow plants but what a huge amount of their cows.. With so many cows they had will erase all the grass or small bush growth. Why not take a look and learn from Yacouba Sawadogo who spent most of his life to build and greening the desert and at end he succeeds to increase his whole family living. That’s work hard and Endurance mean…Nothing easy but nothing impossible. If we had a Strong Will rather than scolding or complaining…
Contours or some other methods should be implemented, to havest rain water before planting trees…
I am challenging myself to build a lush forest garden in a desert suburb in California. I am using a lot of straw held down by rocks. I am using permaculture, native plants and regenerative farming techniques. I do not know what I am doing but it has not stopped me from piecing together things I learned from YouTube and permaculture books. Digging some holes 9 to 12 inches deep with some straw and rocks keeps the rainwater on my property. People around the world can plant trees in there own deserts.
Nobody said it will be instant.these people deserve famine for the rest of their lives.i guess the stereotype is true.
China has conquered their desert by burying straw and dead grasses, making barriers to stop the flow of water away, forming terraces and planting grasses. Why is this so hard to do in Africa. It is so simple. Plus people are burying clay in the soil to stop drainage. It’s about time those that are throwing money at this project actually looked at what could be done with the money. At the moment they are just planting trees and forgetting about them expecting them to survive. That is not how it works. If they had one brain cell they should realise this. What a waste. And people need to stop grazing animals on this land until it’s replenished. I don’t care what that man wanted he should be made to sell his animals and get another way of living. There must be something else he could do like if I can suggest take part in the regeneration of the land by helping with water saving projects paid for by the idiots that just throw money about. Who are the people in charge of this green wall? Whoever they are they should be charged with wasting investment money.
This upsets me. This money could have been used to help the people. Bet lots of hands have been greased.
Niger is muslim country … so let Prophet take care of his own people …..
So they take trillions worth of resources . But just donating a few billion? Also doesnt nestle own most the water there? I mean the are the one creating the short for profit.
I suspect the area of Eritrea and Djibouti will actually green up as there is more development and commercial interest but the overgrazing will continue eastward. Without water sources which would actually keep the grazers in the area, gasses will not take hold.
I wonder if this place got flooded this year
.