Sahel West Africa

Sahel, West Africa a location that is highly dependent on the field of agriculture for survival. The study of this specific area of the world focuses on the conflict the community is having to continue the agricultural portion of their economy. It was stated in a recent study that, “about 65 percent of the cultivable land have been degraded.” (Warner, 2009). A large percentage of the land in West Africa is labeled as unsuitable for the production of agricultural products, which causes a significant amount of the residents to migrate to other regions that have a promising future. The amount of migration that is occurring is causing strain in other regions such as Senegal, Dakar, Faso, and Niger. “Forty-four percent of West Africa’s population works in the agricultural sector, most of them at a subsistence level.” (Warner, 2009). As observed by this percentage the inhabitants of the Sahel rely on agricultural not only for food, but also for a source of income. Life would be sustainable in this region if two catastrophic events didn’t occur. The …show more content…
They have concluded that in developing a sustainable approach to Sahel six interventions must occur. In a summary they are irrigation investments, wide adoption of land, improve livestock management, drought tolerance, refine harvest management, and refine emergency readiness. This projection appears to be effective on paper, but the true test of success is when this projection put into place. According to Africa Region Sustainable Development “we estimate a global investment envelope of about US$25.7 billion for transforming agriculture in the Sahel over the next 10 years, requiring investments by the Bank and external partners.” (Africa Region, 2013). The plan of improving the Sahel agricultural sector has not been put into place yet due to the lack of