Long spells of drought and unpredictable rainfall are making it increasingly difficult for farmers in Africa to rely on their harvests to provide for their families.
In Burkina Faso the scarcity of water is becoming a huge problem as the quality of the soil deteriorates, trees disappear, and land which was once fertile becomes barren and desert like.
Christian Aid partner Reseau Marp has been supporting communities in finding the best ways cultivate their land in the changing climate.
Ally Ouedraogo is a farmer from Gourcey, the ‘gateway to the Sahel’. With an increasing number of family members to provide for being able to farm his land is vital. However the decrease in rainfall left his land dry and barren, the last few remaining tress struggling to survive.
Picture: Ally Ouedraogo - Ally’s determination to regenerate his land means what was once dry and barren is now a veritable forest.
Ally was determined to prevent the desertification of his land and spent twenty years “working with his bare hands until they bled” finding ways to regenerate his land. Building rock belts helped trap seeds and rainwater, and his land is now once again rich with vegetation. Reseau Marp have been supporting farmers like Ally, helping them to get the most of their land in the harsh environment through promoting cultivation methods and sharing information on new types of seeds. Ally is now a local celebrity in his area, people coming from far and wide to ask for advice and share ideas.
“When you meet a farmer like this who is committed and has ideas, you must support that and make best use of it. Not all farmers are committed to land regeneration in the same way. Ally is in fact the initiator of the idea of local environment regeneration in this village.”
Reseau Marp on Ally
Photo credit: Christian Aid/Sarah Filbey
Other case studies:
On the Frontline - Asia
On the Frontline - Latin America
