Farming the Desert: Geography of the Sahel

FARMING THE DESERT: GEOGRAPHY OF THE SAHEL

Subjects: Geography, History, Social Studies

Grade Level: 8-10

Purpose and Overview:

This lesson plan includes two activities. The purpose of these activities is to introduce students to the geography and people of the Sahel region and to have them discover the challenges and conflicts faced by the inhabitants. In Part 1, students are introduced to the central figure, Yacouba Sawadogo, a farmer from Burkina Faso who has made great strides in pushing back the desert and improving his lands. Students compare and contrast the ideas introduced in the video to more in-depth articles on the topic of “regreening the desert.”

In Part 2, students participate in a jigsaw activity in which they explore five aspects of the geography of the Sahel through research, including the physical and human characteristics of the Sahel, the economic interdependence of humans on the Sahel, cooperation and conflict in the Sahel, human modifications to the Sahel, and how the changing conditions of the Sahel are impacting human systems. In this jigsaw, students conduct internet research in the five areas and then share with each other to create a final profile of the region.

 Part 1: One to two 45-minute class periods.

 Part 2: The research phase will take one to two 45-minute class periods. The sharing and debrief phases will take one 45-minute class period.

Introduction:

The Sahel region is a unique part of Africa that exists as a thin band bordered on the North by the Sahara desert and on the South by more lush, tropical savannahs. In the image below, the Sahel region is represented by the brown band that stretches from west to east and includes eight African nations. The Sahel is considered to be one of Africa’s most productive regions; however, it is prone to highly erratic rainfall, which can lead to severe drought.

This lesson plan accompanies the EARTH A New Wild video “Faming the Desert” about Yacouba Sawadogo, who lives and farms in the part of Burkina Faso that lies in the Sahel region. Burkina Faso has four seasons: from mid-November to February the weather is dry and cool with temperatures around 600F, from mid-February to June the weather is hot and dry with winds that blow from the Sahara Desert named “harmattan” and temperatures around 1000F, the rainy season is from June to September, and from September to mid-November is an intermediate season between the rainy and dry times. The difference in rainfall amounts (during the rainy season) can vary widely between Northern Burkina Faso, which lies in the Sahelian Zone and Southern Burkina Faso, which lies in the Sudanic zone. The annual rainfall amounts in the North are less than 10 inches, compared to the South where the annual rainfall can reach

1 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O up to 40 inches. It is important to note that dry seasons are a normal part of the climate of region and are not to be confused with periods of drought.

Drought can occur when the precipitation during the rainy season is less than normal. Several years in a row of rainfall anomalies can lead to severe droughts that have long-lasting effects. The graph below shows rainfall anomalies in the Sahel from 1900-2013. The bars that are positive indicate more rainfall than the June-October (rainy season) average and the bars that are negative indicate less rainfall than average. Rainfall fluctuation is a normal occurrence in the Sahel, and the graph depicts several consecutive years having positive rainfall anomalies leading up to the 1970s. Beginning in the 1970s, however, the Sahel experienced several consecutive years with negative precipitation anomalies. This prolonged deviation from the average rainfall led to a serious drought in the 1970s, which had dire consequences for people living in the region.

One of the consequences of prolonged drought is desertification. Desertification is a process by which land that was once productive can no longer support the same plant growth that it had in the past, which can have huge implications for the people that live in the region. In addition to drought, other main causes of desertification include poor farming practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and fire.

2 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O If plants are removed from an area, either through overgrazing or deforestation, the nutrient rich topsoil can blow away, leaving farmlands less productive and making it harder for more plants to grow. Dry conditions can cause the soil to change to a hard, crusty surface that rain can’t penetrate, perpetuating the dry conditions. If the factors that caused desertification are stopped and the land doesn’t return to a productive state, then the land is “desertified.”

This lesson will focus on two different populations that exist in Burkina Faso and the Sahel: the farmers and the nomadic pastoralists. Agriculturalists like Yacouba Sawadogo live on settlements and farm for a living. They are particularly vulnerable to droughts because they depend on the land for food and income. As shown in the video, the droughts of the 1970s forced many farmers to abandon their lands. Farmers like Yacouba Sawadogo have stayed behind and made massive improvements to their lands, which have helped to stave off desertification.

Nomadic pastoralists are herders who own large numbers of grazing animals like cattle and they move their animals from place to place with the change of the seasons. As the rains move through the Sahel, the nomads moved their animals with them in search of more food for their herds for their animals. The number of nomads has decreased since the droughts in the 1970s as the desertification of traditional grazing lands has threatened their way of life. In recent years, another threat to their way of life has been the development of still fertile grazing lands by farmers.

Land conflicts between these two groups and the ever-present threat of drought and desertification leave both populations in a highly vulnerable state. As mentioned previously, droughts are not uncommon to the Sahel—the region has been plagued by droughts for hundreds of years. But long-lasting droughts in the Sahel have led to serious famines and have impacted the livelihood of both the farmers and the nomads. Additionally, these drought-stricken areas are very sensitive and cannot support large population growth. Among the countries that make up the Sahel, however, the population has grown from 367 million in 2000 to 471 million in 2010. In a mere ten years, the population of the Sahel increased by 30%.

Vocabulary:

Common Property Resource: land or resources in which all members of a community hold equal rights

Desertification: the process of becoming desert; lands that are no longer as productive as they once were

Fallow: cultivated land that is not planted for a growing season or longer; a resting period

Famine: an extreme scarcity of food

Fodder: feed for domestic animals or livestock

Marginal Land: an area of land that is often at the edge of a desert and is typically arid and has poor soil; not good for farming

Nomad: a member of a group of people who have no fixed home and move from place to place in a certain territory or area

Productivity: the state of being able to produce large amounts of something; in agriculture, this refers to the ability of land to produce a large amount of crops

3 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Restitution: the giving of an equivalent for a loss, theft, or injury; the restoration of something to its rightful owner

Soil Fertility: the ability of soil to supply enough nutrients for plants to grow including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus

Tragedy of the Commons: a problem with common property where every individual tries to benefit to the detriment of the entire group because of the depletion of a shared resource. This concept is often applied to common grazing lands.

4 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Part 1: Yacouba Sawadogo on Film and in Print

Time: One to two 45-minute class periods

Materials:

 Internet, computer(s)

 Farming the Desert | EARTH A New Wild Video - https://vimeo.com/114170693

 Student copies of the articles below or online access for students to read them:

o The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees (Scientific American, 2011) - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat- back-drought-and-climate-change-with-trees/

o Regreening the Sahel by Chris Reij, Gray Tappan, and Melinda Smale (Book Chapter from 2009 Agroenvironmental transformation in the Sahel: Another Kind of “Green Revolution.”) http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf

Objectives:

The student will…

 Determine the central idea of the “Farming the Desert” video.

 Compare and contrast the information in the video to related texts on farming in drought- impacted areas of the Sahel.

 Identify if the articles support or contradict the contents of the video.

 Identify the causes of desertification.

 Evaluate if deserts can only be “regreened” by humans, or if this can happen naturally.

Common Core Standards:

Grades 6-8  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.9: Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

Grades 9-10  CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts

Suggested Flow:

5 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O 1. View the Farming the Desert video with the students. Have them consider the following questions while watching the video and go over the questions with them after viewing.

o Who was the focus of the video?

o What happened in the video?

o What was the purpose of the video?

o Are there facts that have been left out of the video that might be important? If so, what?

o What questions do you now have that are left unanswered? How could you find out more information?

2. Have students compare and contrast the information they learned in the video clip to the information with either or both of the following articles depending on the reading level of the students.

o The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees (Scientific American, 2011) - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and- climate-change-with-trees/

o Regreening the Sahel by Chris Reij, Gray Tappan, and Melinda Smale (Book Chapter from 2009 Agroenvironmental transformation in the Sahel: Another Kind of “Green Revolution.”) http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf

3. You may want to have students use a graphic organizer to outline what they have learned in each of the readings. Consider having them list 5 or more important details and then write a short summary of the main idea or take away from the reading.

4. After completing the readings, the following questions could be answered by students individually, in small groups, or in a large group discussion:

o What new information have you learned by reading the articles?

o What are the similarities between the articles and video?

o Are there other important aspects that were left out of the video? If so, how are they important to the Yacouba narrative?

o Are there important historical pieces that help us to understand all of the issues surrounding desertification? If so, what are they?

o Is the greening of the desert human-induced? If so how? Can the desert become green without humans? Explain.

6 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O 5. While the Yacouba video is very inspirational, there are other forces at work that could hinder the progress that Yacouba has made. The quote below is from a National Geographic article called Our Good Earth, published in 2008 by author Charles C. Mann.

(See page 5 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text/5

and 6 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/mann-text/6 for the Yacouba specific section.)

Share this quote with students and have them reflect on the constraints that Yacouba and others face when trying to improve their land and stop desertification. Additionally, have them address how this further division of land will affect nomadic pastoralists and their way of life.

“…smallholders in Burkina still lease it, often for no charge, from landowners who can revoke the lease at the end of any term. To provide income for Burkina's cities, the central government let them annex and then sell land on their peripheries—without fairly compensating the people who already lived there. Sawadogo's village is a few miles away from Ouahigouya, a city of 64,000 people. Among the richest properties in Ouahigouya's newly annexed land was Sawadogo's forest, a storehouse of timber. Surveyors went through the property, slicing it into tenth-of-an-acre parcels marked by heavy stakes. As the original owner, Sawadogo will be allotted one parcel; his older children will also each receive land. Everything else will be sold off, probably next year. He watched helplessly as city officials pounded a stake in his bedroom floor. Another lot line cut through his father's grave. Today Yacouba Sawadogo is trying to find enough money to buy the forest in which he has invested his life. Because he has made the land so valuable, the price is impossibly high: about $20,000.” Part 2: Further Exploration of the Geography of the Sahel and its Inhabitants

Time:  Research Phase – One to two 45-minute class periods  Sharing and Debrief Phases – One 45-minute class period

Materials:

 Teacher - Internet, computer, projector

 Student access to computers and internet

 One copy of the “Area Profile: The Sahel” for each student and one copy of the Groups 1-5 directions handouts for each group. All worksheets and handouts for Part 2 can be found at the end of this document.

7 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O  Group copies of the articles below or online access for students to read them:

o Sahel Backgrounder - http://www.irinnews.org/report/78514/sahel-backgrounder-on-the-sahel-west- africa-s-poorest-region

o The Sahel - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Sahel

o Burkina Faso - http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Burkina_Faso.aspx

o Burkina Faso - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/85420/Burkina-Faso#toc54877

o Population Growth, Food Supply, and Climate Change - http://www.theguardian.com/global- development/2014/oct/22/population-growth-outpaces-food-sahel-study

o Meet the People of the Sahel -http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahel/sahel_people_lo.html

o Challenges in the Sahel - http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-one-region- many-crises

o Desertification of the Sahel - Exploring the Role of Property Rights - http://perc.org/articles/desertification-sahel

o Misconceptions on Drylands and Pastoralism - http://www.iied.org/misconceptions-drylands- pastoralism

o Pastoralists in Sahel Losing Their Way - http://www.heifer.org/join-the- conversation/magazine/2013/summer/pastoralists-in-sahel-losing-their-way.html

o The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change- with-trees/

o What does the future hold for pastoralists in the Sahel? -http://www.irinnews.org/report/99044/what- does-the-future-hold-for-pastoralists-in-the-sahel

o Defining Desertification - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/ and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php

o Regreening the Sahel - http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf

o Survival in the Sahel - http://www.economist.com/node/17628093

o Sahel villagers fleeing climate change must not be ignored - http://www.theguardian.com/global- development/poverty-matters/2013/aug/02/sahel-climate-change-displacement-migration

8 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Objectives:

The student will…

 Identify the physical and human characteristics of the Sahel.

 Describe how the economies in the Sahel are interdependent on the land.

 Describe and analyze the sources of conflict and the division and control of the land in the Sahel.

 Explain how humans have modified the Sahel.

 Describe how the changes to the Sahel (climate, drought, and desertification) have impacted its inhabitants and discuss how people are coping with the changes.

 Evaluate current conditions in the Sahel and predict future possibilities for the region based on current evidence.

National Geography Standards: URL: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/standards/national-geography-standards/? ar_a=1  4 - The physical and human characteristics of places.

 11 - The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth’s surface.

 13 - How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth's surface.

 14 - How human actions modify the physical environment.

 15 - How physical systems affect human systems.

Suggested Flow: 1. This activity supports five of the National Geography Standards and allows students to explore the geography of the Sahel through readings found online. The activity is set-up as a jigsaw in which five groups of students research materials that support each one of the standards. Ideally, you should have three students per group. If you have a class of 30 students or more, you will have 10 groups of students for the research phase, which means there will be two groups researching for each of the standards in this activity.

2. At the end of this teacher guide, you will find Groups 1-5 handouts that you can photocopy and provide to students or offer a digital version. Each worksheet includes the research questions they need to answer as well as the websites they can use to find the information. Of course, they are not limited to those sites, but they should be able to find what they need with those resources.

9 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O 3. Ideally during this research phase, each student would have access to a computer. If you don’t have computer access, you can print out copies of each of the articles and give them to the groups. Once you have placed students into their research groups, you can leave it up to them to decide how they will break up the task, or you can assign students various roles.

4. Once the research phase is over, regroup the students so that each new group has at least one representative from the original groups 1-5. Distribute the worksheet “Area Profile: The Sahel” to each student to complete in this final group. Each original group representative should verbally share their findings with the group, so that the new group members can complete their profile. In some cases where the groups had overlapping research, encourage the other group members to share their information where appropriate. Discourage groups from just giving their research to each other to copy. The jigsaw works best when there is dialogue between the students.

5. For your reference, on pages 10-16 of this guide, there are teacher answer keys to the group research questions and an answer key for the worksheet “Area Profile: The Sahel” that students will complete during the jigsaw.

6. Once all of the groups have completed their profiles, consider doing a short debrief with the students. Possible questions that you can pose during the debrief are below:

o What was most surprising about the Sahel and its inhabitants?

o Do you think the conflict between the nomads and the farmers can be resolved? If so, how?

o Do you feel that there was a bias toward the nomads or the farmers in some of the readings? Explain.

o Is it up to humans to regreen the Sahel? Can it happen on its own?

o What are some of the challenges that the region might face if conditions don’t improve? How could this impact other parts of Africa?

Will these impacts be felt in the rest of the world?

10 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Jigsaw Teacher Answer Keys

Group 1: Physical and Human Characteristics (National Geography Standard 4)

Describe the Sahel (it might be helpful to focus on one country in the Sahel, like Burkina Faso):

Student Questions Answers Where is the Sahel? A thin band of land stretching across N. Africa, which divides the Sahara desert from tropical forests. Who lives there? Describe the lifestyles of the A wide variety of people from various religions including Muslims, Christians and Animists; people who live in the Sahel. How do they nomads and farmers; Arabs and Africans. survive? Describe the climate. Are there seasons? If so, In Burkina Faso, there is a rainy season and a dry season. The rainy season varies from North describe them. to South in the country. The rainy season lasts 4 months in the NE (June-Sept) and 6 months in the SW (May-October) part of the country. The NE part of the country is in the Sahelian zone. The dry season is typically from March-May when there are hot, dry winds called the harmattan. What is the land like? Is it mountainous or flat? The country is an extensive plateau and has three main rivers. Some of the rivers become dry in the dry season. A lot of the soil in Burkina Faso is infertile. Describe the vegetation in the Sahel. Is it The Northern or Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso has savanna or grasslands and is drier than the tropical, desert, or grasslands? south. The north has shrubs, stunted trees, and grass. What are environmental or humanitarian There are disagreements about land – crop and pasture. Drought increased competition for concerns in the Sahel? Also describe any land. Sometimes governments supported nomads and sometimes they supported farmers. conflicts in the Sahel. Climate change may make crop production difficult (some years too wet, some too dry). 80% of the land is degraded by deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification. Population growth outpaces food supply.

 Sahel Backgrounder - http://www.irinnews.org/report/78514/sahel-backgrounder-on-the-sahel-west-africa-s-poorest-region

 The Sahel - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Sahel

 Burkina Faso - http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Burkina_Faso.aspx

 Burkina Faso - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/85420/Burkina-Faso#toc54877

11 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O  Population Growth, Food Supply, and Climate Change - http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/oct/22/population- growth-outpaces-food-sahel-study

 Meet the People of the Sahel -http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahel/sahel_people_lo.html

 Challenges in the Sahel - http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-one-region-many-crises

Group 2: Economic Interdependence on Earth’s Surface (National Geography Standard 11)

The two main groups you should focus on for this part are the nomadic pastoralists or herders and the farmers. Describe how these groups depend on the Earth’s surface for their livelihoods:

Student Questions Answers How do nomadic pastoralists and farmers in the Nomads raise cattle and migrate across the Sahara to the savannah. Farmers grow crops. Sahel support themselves? Describe any trade that exists between the Nomads traded cattle and other goods along their routes. farmers and the nomads (for goods or services). Have these ways of life changed over time? Wells were owned by clans and the nomads used them along their migration routes. Clans Describe any impacts to the ways of life of a determined the length of time that any one person could use their wells. When the French farmer or nomad. colonized parts of Africa, their policies changed the traditional way of life. Farmers were forced to export crops to port cities instead of trading across the Sahara. The French added more wells, with no clear ownership, which led to overgrazing because no one was managing how long the cattle could stay in one place. Deforestation and overgrazing led to barren land not suitable for farming. There is increasing conflict over land use between farmers and nomads. How does the pastoralists’ way of life help them Pastoralists move their livestock with the seasons. That way they can find good pasture even in deal with the climate and conditions of the drier times. Sahel? Analyze the connections between the pastoralists’ movements and the seasons in the Sahel. How do the farmers deal with the climate and Farmers like Yacouba Sawadogo have been using methods like zai planting and farmer- conditions of the Sahel? managed natural regeneration (FMNR) to help their land be more productive and to protect crops. These techniques increase soil fertility, provide shade, and protection from the wind. What is a pressing environmental concern in the Drought and desertification are huge problems in the Sahel. Sahel?

12 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O  Desertification of the Sahel - Exploring the Role of Property Rights - http://perc.org/articles/desertification-sahel

 Misconceptions on Drylands and Pastoralism - http://www.iied.org/misconceptions-drylands-pastoralism

 Pastoralists in Sahel Losing Their Way - http://www.heifer.org/join-the-conversation/magazine/2013/summer/pastoralists-in-sahel-losing- their-way.html

 The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change-with-trees/

Group 3: Cooperation, Conflict, and Control of the Earth’s Surface (National Geography Standard 13)

The two main groups you should focus on for this part are the nomadic pastoralists or herders and the farmers.

Student Questions Answers How have people historically worked together Land disputes were resolved by meetings of the elders and offering restitution to victims of to share common resources in the Sahel? violence. Trading was also common in the Sahel. What events impacted the ways that inhabitants Prolonged drought caused increased competition for resources and as a result there was more of the Sahel shared resources in the past? conflict. Modern governments often favored one type of group over another – sometimes farmers and sometimes nomads. Describe the reasons for conflict between the Both farmers and nomads need land and water but they use it in different ways. Because of the nomadic pastoralists and the farmers when it droughts, nomads and farmers were forced to find better land. Farmers abandoned lands that comes to shared resources. were barren and started cultivating land that was marginal and had historically been allowed to lie fallow. Describe this conflict from the perspective of Nomads: need land for cattle, farmers are using up all of the good land, staying in one place each stakeholder (the nomads and the farmers). isn’t good for nomads because they can’t move with the seasons to find better pasture Farmers: need land and water for growing crops, cattle from the nomads can damage crops and if cattle stay in one place too long, they are competing for water resources with the farmers Are disputes resolved differently now than in Traditionally, disputes were resolved by meetings of elders. With increased conflict, disputes the past? Do the current laws and systems favor are harder to resolve. Some governments side with farmers and some side with nomads. Some one way of life over another or does it seem that governments view the nomadic way of life as a problem and seek to introduce them to modern both sides’ views are represented by the farming and livestock production. Pasture is often lost to development in prime grazing areas.

13 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O decisions that are made? What are the benefits of pastoralism in a climate Pastoralism is considered to be a climate resilient way of life since nomads can move cattle to changing world? more productive areas instead of being stuck in one place.

 Desertification of the Sahel - Exploring the Role of Property Rights - http://perc.org/articles/desertification-sahel

 Misconceptions on Drylands and Pastoralism - http://www.iied.org/misconceptions-drylands-pastoralism

 Pastoralists in Sahel Losing Their Way - http://www.heifer.org/join-the-conversation/magazine/2013/summer/pastoralists-in-sahel-losing- their-way.html

 What does the future hold for pastoralists in the Sahel? http://www.irinnews.org/report/99044/what-does-the-future-hold-for-pastoralists- in-the-sahel

Group 4: Human Actions Modify the Physical Environment (National Geography Standard 14)

Student Questions Answers Explain how humans have modified the Sahel Population growth has created more demands on the land. Trees have been used for firewood and describe the negative impacts of human and have been removed to establish crop land. Livestock have overgrazed the grasses. activity on the Sahel. Because of the degradation of the land, wind and rain have carried topsoil away, leaving infertile land behind. Describe changes that humans have made that Zai holes have helped to change the land and make it more fertile and retain water. Farmer- have positively impacted the Sahel. managed natural regeneration (FMNR) of trees is another farmer implementation that has helped to protect the land. Describe the importance of trees to the ecology Trees offer shade for crops and protection from wind. Trees help increase soil fertility and of the Sahel. provide feed for livestock. Fallen leaves can act as mulch. Explain how the trees benefit people. People can eat the leaves to avoid starvation. People use the wood for cooking, furniture making, construction, and for medicinal purposes. Explain how some laws in the past hurt the In some parts of the Sahel, trees belonged to the state. Under this system, farmers were growth and or protection of trees in parts of the punished if they were caught cutting trees. This type of law provided no incentive for farmers Sahel. to grow trees on their land. When these laws were changed, more farmers became interested in

14 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O FMNR. Describe desertification. Reduction in productivity of land that is irreversible. Do humans have a role in desertification? What Human activities contribute to desertification. Overgrazing and deforestation are leading are some of the causes? human causes. Drought is another cause (though not human-related). Describe how drought and desertification impact Drought and desertification have led to extreme famine and the deaths of large numbers of humans. people and animals. Groundwater levels drop, which means less water for people, crops, and livestock. When the land was seriously degraded, people left their homes.

 The Sahel - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516438/Sahel

 The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change-with-trees/

 Defining Desertification - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/ and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php

 Regreening the Sahel - http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf

Group 5: Physical Systems Affect Human Systems (National Geography Standard 15)

Student Questions Answers What kinds of people inhabit the Sahel? Farmers and nomads from many religions and ethnic groups What are the characteristics of the Sahel that The Sahel has low-growing grass, which forms a natural pasture. There are also thorny shrubs made people want to live there? and other plants for grazing animals. What physical properties of the Sahel impose The variable rainfall is one of the most challenging constraints for humans. Starting in the constraints on human activities? 1970s, a long drought led to the loss a crops and cattle. This drought also led to desertification and the encroachment of the Sahara Desert. How is climate change impacting the people of In the last 40 years, there have been very wet years and extremely dry years that are not the Sahel? adequate for crops. Scientists estimate that even if the rainfall in the area does eventually increase, this increase will be offset by warming temperatures that will result in the evaporation of more water. Heavy rainfall is problematic when intense bursts damage crops and wash away seeds. Scientists predict more flooding in the Sahel. What constraints does climate change bring to Climate change that impacts the growing conditions for food crops will impact food security

15 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O the lifestyles of the Sahel’s inhabitants? and nutrition. Malnutrition levels are already high even when rainfall is adequate. Increased temperatures will reduce harvests. Ultimately, there will likely be more conflicts as resources become scarce. What are some strategies that are being used to In Mali, the government is trying to irrigate farmland. Short-cycle crops are being grown – like help alleviate the impact of climate change maize that can be harvested in 3 months as opposed to 5 months. Zai pits have helped improve and/or drought (regreening the Sahel)? croplands. Stone bunds have helped harvest rainwater. Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) has helped to grow trees and shrubs for food, fuel, or fodder. The trees also help retain soil. Increased food production on lands could mean that farmers need to use less land or are less likely to abandon land and move on. If there is more fodder around for livestock, farmers will keeps animals close by instead of letting them graze far out. Their manure can be used to fertilize crops.

 Sahel - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516438/Sahel

 Sahel Backgrounder - http://www.irinnews.org/report/78514/sahel-backgrounder-on-the-sahel-west-africa-s-poorest-region

 Population Growth, Food Supply, and Climate Change - http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/oct/22/population- growth-outpaces-food-sahel-study

 Survival in the Sahel - http://www.economist.com/node/17628093

 Sahel villagers fleeing climate change must not be ignored - http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty- matters/2013/aug/02/sahel-climate-change-displacement-migration

 Regreening the Sahel - http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf Area Profile: The Sahel Topics Summary Grou Physical and Human The Sahel is a thin band of land stretching across N. Africa, which divides the Sahara desert from tropical p 1 Characteristics forests and savannahs. A wide variety of people from various religions including Muslims, Christians and Animists; nomads and farmers; Arabs and Africans live there. Nomads move from place to place with their

16 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Describe the physical livestock and farmers are more sedentary and raise crops in a fixed location. characteristics of the Sahel and identify who lives there and The country is an extensive plateau and has three main rivers. Some of the rivers become dry in the dry describe their way of life. season. A lot of the soil in Burkina Faso is infertile. The Northern or Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso has savanna or grasslands and is more dry the south. The north has shrubs, stunted trees, and grass.

Grou Economic Interdependence Nomads raise cattle and migrate across the Sahara to the savannah. Farmers grow crops. Nomads trade cattle p 2 on the Earth’s Surface and other goods along their routes. Wells were once owned by clans and the nomads used them along their migration routes. Clans determined the length of time that any one person could use their wells. When the Explain how people depend on French colonized parts of Africa, their policies changed aspects of the economy and society. Farmers were the land of the Sahel for forced to export crops to port cities instead of trading across the Sahara. The French added more wells, with survival. Be sure to describe no clear ownership, which led to overgrazing because no one was managing how long the cattle could stay in the difference between one place. Deforestation and overgrazing led to barren land not suitable for farming. There is increasing nomadic pastoralists and conflict over land use between farmers and nomads. Pastoralists move their livestock with the seasons. That farmers and indicate how their way they can find good pasture even in drier times. Farmers like Yacouba Sawadogo have been using methods way of life has changed over like zai planting and farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) to help their land be more productive and time. to protect crops. These techniques increase soil fertility, provide shade, and protection from the wind.

Grou Cooperation, Conflict, and Prolonged drought caused increased competition for resources (land and water) and as a result there was more p 3 Control of the Earth’s conflict over land. Modern governments often favored one type of group over another – sometimes farmers Surface and sometimes nomads. Both farmers and nomads need land and water but they use it in different ways – nomads use land to graze cattle and farmers use it to grow crops. Because of the droughts, nomads and Describe the major conflicts in farmers were forced to find better land. Farmers abandoned lands that were barren and started cultivating land the Sahel and explain how that was marginal and had historically been allowed to lie fallow or were used as grazing lands for nomads. these conflicts are resolved. One source of conflict is that cattle from the nomads can damage crops and if the cattle stay in one place too long and they are competing for water resources with the farmers. Traditionally, disputes were resolved by meetings of elders. With increased conflict, disputes are harder to resolve. Some governments side with farmers and some side with nomads. Some governments view the nomadic way of life as a problem and seek to introduce them to modern farming and livestock production. However, nomadic pastoralism is considered to be a climate resilient way of life since nomads can move cattle to more productive areas instead of being stuck in one place.

Grou Human Actions Modify the Population growth has created more demands on the land. Trees have been cut down for firewood or removed p 4 Physical Environment to establish crop land. Livestock have overgrazed the grasses. Because of the degradation of the land, wind and rain have carried topsoil away, leaving infertile land behind. Zai holes have helped change the land and Describe how human activity make it more fertile and retain water. Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) of trees is another farmer

17 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O has impacted the Sahel implementation that has helped to protect the land. Trees offer shade for crops and protection from wind. (include both positive and Trees help increase soil fertility and provide feed for livestock. Fallen leaves can act as mulch. People can eat negative aspects). the leaves to avoid starvation. Wood can be used for cooking, furniture making, construction, and for medicinal purposes. Human activities like overgrazing and deforestation have contributed to desertification of the land, which is the reduction in productivity of the land.

Grou Physical Systems Affect Drought and desertification have led to extreme famine and the deaths of large numbers of people and p 5 Human Systems animals. During a prolonged drought, groundwater levels drop, this means less water for people, crops, and livestock. These droughts have forced people to leave their homes and look for better land. Explain how climate change and extreme drought is The variable rainfall is one of the most challenging constraints for humans in the Sahel. Starting in the 1970s, impacting the people of the a long drought led to the loss a crops and cattle. This drought also led to desertification and the encroachment Sahel. Describe some of the of the Sahara Desert. In the last 40 years, there have been very wet years and extremely dry years that are not strategies that are being used adequate for crops. Scientists estimate that even if the rainfall in the area does eventually increase, this to alleviate the impact of the increase will be offset by warming temperatures that will result in the evaporation of more water. Heavy droughts and climate change. rainfall is problematic when intense bursts damage crops and wash away seeds. Scientists predict more flooding in the Sahel. Climate change that impacts the growing conditions for food crops will impact food security and nutrition.

Malnutrition levels are already high even when rainfall is adequate. Increased temperatures will reduce harvests. Ultimately, there will likely be more conflicts as resources become scarce. In Mali, the government is trying to irrigate farmland. Short-cycle crops are being grown – like maize that can be harvested in 3 months as opposed to 5 months. Zai pits have helped improve croplands. Stone bunds have helped harvest rainwater. Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) has helped to grow trees and shrubs for food, fuel, or fodder. The trees also help retain soil and soil moisture. Increased food production on lands could mean that farmers need to use less land or are less likely to abandon land and move on. If there is more fodder around for livestock, farmers will keeps animals close by instead of letting them graze far out. Their manure can be used to fertilize crops.

18 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Other Resources: o To view a science lesson on desertification that ties to the Farming the Desert | EARTH A New Wild Video visit: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/249a2eb4-0461-4361-b81e- 3e071d40e37c/farming-the-desert-science-lesson-plan

o To further explore the ecology of grasslands, cattle grazing, and population management, view the Nature Works Everywhere video on the Value of Grasslands at: https://vimeo.com/77808155. Corresponding lessons for this video:

o The Value of Ecotourism (https://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/#resources/5489d2efc6435b519762936a)

o Population Management (https://www.natureworkseverywhere.org/#resources/5489d2efc6435b519762936a)

o Read more about desertification in other locations and innovative methods being used to halt desertification: The Great Oasis (The New Yorker, 2011) - http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/19/the-great-oasis

o Read more about how the “Tragedy of the Commons” relates to Sahelian nomadism: http://www.economist.com/node/11848182

o Read the original 1968 paper on the “Tragedy of the Commons”, by Garrett Hardin, which describes the dilemma that arises from a situation where multiple individuals acting on their own self-interest will deplete a shared, limited resource. This idea has been applied to communal grazing lands or “the commons”: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243.full

o For a more in depth look into the challenge of managing the commons in the Sahel region, check out the paper “Who’s Managing the Commons” by Ced Hesse and Pippa Trench (2000): http://www.sahel.org.uk/pdf/Securing%20the%20Commons%20No.1%20%28English%29.pdf

Bibliography: Arsenault, Chris. "Population Growth Far Outpaces Food Supply in Conflict-ravaged Sahel." The Guardian. Guardian Media Group, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. . "Burkina Faso." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. .

Deschamps, Herbert Jules. "Burkina Faso | History - Geography." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Dec. 2014. Web. 23 Dec. 2014. . Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean. "Sahel Precipitation Index." Sahel Precipitation Index. JISAO - University of Washington, Nov. 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. .

19 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Standards: National Geography Standards, Geography Education Standards Project. Geography for Life: The National Geography Standards. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society Committee on Research and Exploration, 1994.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors, 2010.

NGSS Lead States. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2013.

20 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Group 1

Physical and Human Characteristics

Describe the Sahel (it might be helpful to focus on one country in the Sahel, like Burkina Faso):

 Where is the Sahel?

 Who lives there? Describe the lifestyles of the people who live in the Sahel. How do they survive?

 Describe the weather. Are there seasons? If so, describe them.

 What is the land like? Is it mountainous or flat?

 Describe the vegetation in the Sahel. Is it tropical, desert, or grasslands?

 What are environmental or humanitarian concerns in the Sahel? Also describe any conflicts in the Sahel.

Sources:

o The Sahel- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Sahel

o Burkina Faso - http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Burkina_Faso.aspx

o Burkina Faso - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/85420/Burkina-Faso#toc54877

21 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O o Meet the People of the Sahel -http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahel/sahel_people_lo.html

o Challenges in the Sahel - http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-one-region- many-crises

22 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Group 2

Economic Interdependence on Earth’s Surface

The two main groups you should focus on for this part are the nomadic pastoralists or herders and the farmers. Describe how these groups depend on the Earth’s surface for their livelihoods:

 How do nomadic pastoralists and farmers in the Sahel support themselves?

 Describe any trade that exists between the farmers and the nomads (for goods or services).

 Have these ways of life changed over time? Describe any impacts to the ways of life of a farmer or nomad.

 How does the pastoralists’ way of life help them deal with the climate and conditions of the Sahel? Analyze the connections between the pastoralists’ movements and the seasons in the Sahel.

 How do the farmers deal with the climate and conditions of the Sahel?

 What is a pressing environmental concern in the Sahel?

Sources:

o The Sahel- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Sahel

23 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O o Misconceptions on Drylands and Pastoralism - http://www.iied.org/misconceptions-drylands-pastoralism

o The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change-with- trees/

Group 3

Cooperation, Conflict, and Control of the Earth’s Surface

The two main groups you should focus on for this part are the nomadic pastoralists or herders and the farmers.

 How have people historically worked together to share common resources in the Sahel?

 What events impacted the ways that inhabitants of the Sahel shared resources in the past?

 Describe the reasons conflict between the nomadic pastoralists and the farmers when it comes to shared resources.

 Describe this conflict from the perspective of each stakeholder (the nomads and the farmers).

 How are disputes resolved? Do the current laws and systems favor one way of life over another or does it seem that both sides’ views are represented by the decisions that are made?

 What are the ecological benefits of pastoralism? Farming?

Sources:

24 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O o The Sahel - http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/geopedia/Sahel

o What does the future hold for pastoralists in the Sahel? http://www.irinnews.org/report/99044/what-does- the-future-hold-for-pastoralists-in-the-sahel

Group 4

Human Actions Modify the Physical Environment

 How have humans modified the Sahel?

o Describe changes that humans have made that have negatively impacted the Sahel.

o Describe changes that humans have made that have positively impacted the Sahel.

 Describe the importance of trees to the ecology of the Sahel.

 Explain how some laws have hurt the growth and or protection of trees in the some countries in the Sahel.

 Describe desertification.

25 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O  Do humans have a role in desertification?

 Describe some environmental consequences that humans have experienced because of the way they have modified the environment of the Sahel.

Sources:

o Defining Desertification - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/ and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php

o The Great Green Wall: African Farmers Beat Back Drought and Climate Change with Trees - http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change-with- trees/

o Regreening the Sahel - http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/oc64ch07.pdf

26 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Group 5

Physical Systems Affect Human Systems

 What kinds of people inhabit the Sahel?

 What are the characteristics of the Sahel that made people want to live there?

 How is climate change impacting the people of the Sahel?

 What physical properties of the Sahel impose constraints on human activities?

 What constraints does climate change bring to the lifestyles of the Sahel’s inhabitants? How are they adapting?

Sources:

o Sahel - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/516438/Sahel

o Survival in the Sahel - http://www.economist.com/node/17628093

27 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O o Challenges in the Sahel - http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2013/sahel-one-region- many-crises

o Sahel villagers fleeing climate change must not be ignored - http://www.theguardian.com/global- development/poverty-matters/2013/aug/02/sahel-climate-change-displacement-migration

28 | J i g s a w S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t - G E O Name:______Date:______Period:______

Area Profile: The Sahel

Topics Summary Grou Physical and Human p 1 Characteristics

Describe the physical characteristics of the Sahel and identify who lives there and describe their way of life.

Grou Economic Interdependence p 2 on the Earth’s Surface

Explain how people depend on the land of the Sahel for survival. Be sure to describe the difference between nomadic pastoralists and farmers and farmers and indicate how their way of life has changed over time.

Grou Cooperation, Conflict, and p 3 Control of the Earth’s Surface

Describe the major conflicts in the Sahel and explain how these conflicts are resolved.

29 | S a h e l P r o f i l e - S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t , G E O - P a r t 2 Name:______Date:______Period:______

Grou Human Actions Modify p 4 the Physical Environment

Describe how human activity has impacted the Sahel (include both positive and negative aspects).

Grou Physical Systems Affect p 5 Human Systems

Explain how climate change and extreme drought is impacting the people of the Sahel. Describe some of the strategies that are being used to alleviate the impact of the droughts and climate change.

30 | S a h e l P r o f i l e - S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t , G E O - P a r t 2 Name:______Date:______Period:______

31 | S a h e l P r o f i l e - S t u d e n t H a n d o u t - F a r m i n g t h e D e s e r t , G E O - P a r t 2