Desertification in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of West Africa.

Desertification, a process of sustained decline of the biological productivity of arid and semi-arid land, is now at work in many parts of the West African Sahelian and Sudanian Zones (SSZ). This report discusses various aspects of the desertification process including the interaction between such variables as soil, rainfall and population growth. It also reviews past development efforts in relation to desertification and recommends several elements for a potential strategy in ameliorating the situation. These include modifying the design approach to the problem, implementing action programs, focusing research on drought-resistant crops, reducing demand on the environment and improving the policy situation. In conclusion, no significant change in carrying capacities for the environment is possible without a technological breakthrough. Locally, however, the desertification threat may be arrested by selecting appropriate anti-desertification actions and working with communities that are interested, and empowered, to use their land in a sustained-yield manner. Reducing the rapid growth of population is crucial, and current population pressures in the heartland need to be alleviated by further encouraging the existing spontaneous movement of people to the Sudano-Guinean zone.