How Africa Is Fighting The Sahara Desert In A Race To Plant The Great Green Wall

the sahara is an inhospitable place since it's one of the driest and hottest places on earth it covers an area larger than the usa yet it has one of the lowest population densities in the world with roughly one person per square mile approximately 25 percent of the sahara surface is covered by sand sheets and dunes other geographical features include salt flats gravel plains plateaus and there are numerous rivers that originate outside of the sahara which enter the desert through underground waterways or by contributing to sources of surface water such as an oasis this allows for hardy plants animals and people to survive in the region particularly in the sahara where there are 44 million inhabitants the sahao literally means the shoreline where the desert in the north transitions between the humid savannas in the south during the dry season this region becomes extremely arid and barren however in the wet season the desert blooms allowing for crops to grow these seasonal changes were regular and predictable for centuries however since the 1950s there has been a 30 decrease in rainfall which reached record lows during the droughts of the 1970s and 80s ever since drugs have become more frequent turning once fertile soil into a barren landscape this land loss has been the main driver of many other problems such as hunger poverty unemployment forced migration conflict and an increased risk of extreme weather events related to climate change restoring degraded land back to productive good health is a huge opportunity that brings big social and economic benefits to rural farming communities this is why the country niger with 80 of his territory in the sahara desert has been making some astonishing agricultural developments turning large areas suffering from desertification into agricultural fields they have been using innovative water harvesting techniques allowing them to restore over 200 million trees spanning over 5 million hectares of land and benefiting over 2.5 million people this transformation can be called a major accomplishment for any country especially when a country only receives an average of 6.5 inches of rainfall per year in today's video we are going to tell you how and why niger is turning his deserts into huge farmlands so stick with us and let's dive into today's video over the past century the sahara desert has been expanding by more than 7600 square kilometers a year and it is now 10 percent larger than it was in 1920 and in the sahara region the desert has advanced by more than 554 000 square kilometers over the same period this is why a great green wall is being planted across the length and breadth of the sahel to stop the advancement of desertification but just planting trees in the desert does not mean success many projects have failed due to the extreme climate and lack of rain this is why the country niger has been at the forefront of experimenting with innovative water harvesting techniques ninja is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world with a population of only 8 million people over a land area of 1.27 million square kilometers more than 80 percent of nisa's population rely on agriculture for their food and income most grow crops and raise livestock on small family farms in an agricultural village just 55 kilometers west of the capital city of naomi the local people are in the process of restoring 120 hectares with the aid of the world bank and the government of niger they are planting the versatile gum arabic tree which is considered a restoration champion this tree is an ideal pioneer species which can produce everything from resins to pasta to firewood while simultaneously fixing atmospheric nitrogen and it can withstand periods of extreme water stress to ensure its success the village has been using the water harvesting technique known as demi loons or boons simply these semicircular holes are strategically dug into the earth the deep demi loons are positioned according to the slope of the land and the direction in which rainwater usually runs off the surface ensuring the maximum amount is caught trees or crops can be planted in circles often crop seeds of sorghum and millet are planted decades of research and on-farm trials in the sahao suggest demi loons can significantly reduce soil erosion and degradation as well as risk of crop failure and it can increase millet yields in combination with organic fertilizers often native vegetation also begins to grow inside the demiloons these unintentional sprouted plants are nurtured so they will grow into full-size trees since they will provide much needed shade not just for the people but for the soil soil exposure to light heat and torrential rains is one of the leading causes of desertification trees naturally provide ground cover with their own fallen leaves protecting the earth and providing much needed nutrients the fallen leaves of any plant or tree are its best fertilizer by leaving the leaves around a tree you are not only feeding the tree but you are also conditioning the soil as well as recharging the water table since water and moisture is held for longer in the soil when it is protected by organic matter the increased tree cover not only restores the water table but also the water cycle as a whole which has a direct impact on the climate increasing precipitation and reducing temperatures demi loons are not necessarily a new concept they are actually ancient indigenous practices that were almost completely forgotten they have recently been revived due to the fact they are low cost and easy to install the method has spread through word of mouth between farmers this is known as fmnr farmer managed natural regeneration whereby farmers use different natural techniques combined and teach one another these skills which benefits everyone on a larger scale which has helped amnesia to restore 200 million trees spanning over 5 million hectares of land and benefiting over 2.5 million people directly as well as fighting climate change on a global scale if you enjoyed this video make sure to smash the like if you want more content like this then hit the subscribe button with the bell notification on leaf of life is a small unpaid team creating solutions based content about sustainable and environmental problems the world is facing we rely on our patrons who support this channel if you wish to become one please check out our links in the description

Channel: Leaf of Life

Views: 1,624,514

Keywords: sahara desert, off grid, climate change solutions, water harvesting in desert, terraforming the sahara desert, water harvesting, innovation, desert agriculture technology, desert, they discovered, interesting facts, discovery channel, universe news, solar system video, the ultimate discovery graham hancock, the ultimate discovery euphrates, the ultimate discovery africa, yellowstone national park, desert eagle, forza horizon 5, innovation academy, sahara desert documentary

Id: dFHmVfhLluM

Length: 7min 7sec (427 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 13 2022