Trees to Revive farmland in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, desertification is on the rise. More than 9 million hectares of agricultural land, representing one third of the country, are degraded, with an additional 360,000 hectares degrading every year fueled largely by climate change. Rains are rare and when they occur, they wash away the soil exposed to erosion without vegetation cover (pickup of almost all leftover crop residues that previously protected the soil from sun and wind damage, excessive clearing to increase the area under cultivation, mining, etc.). The consequences of land degradation are extremely serious in Burkina Faso where more than 80% of the population’s livelihood depends on agriculture and livestock. Land productivity declines. Rural communities have poorer and poorer harvests. Food insecurity and malnutrition are increases. To counter desertification, Burkina Faso has committed to restoring 5 million hectares of degraded land by 20303, in line with the Great Green Wall initative from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East of Africa. But this cannot be done if the population does not know that they can act and how they can help restore the land.