Trees outside forests: an essential tool for desertification control in the Sahel

This article focuses on lessons about desertification and the potential of trees as part of the solution, drawn from a specific rural situation in the Sahel, that of Keita, Tahoua Department, the Niger. Author provides observations and conclusions based on the direct experience over almost 15 years in Keita.Article describes the forces that left the district classified as marginal land with no hope of rehabilitation and the lengthy process by which the land had been rehabilitated.
It describes how objectives were set and achieved and notes the lasting benefits to the area the project has generated.The article concludes that example of Keita shows that the trend towards desertification can be reversed if essential measures are taken. It requires a unified political will and the mobilization of inhabitants, using a community-based approach with appropriate techniques and resources matching the scale of the problem.