Sahel and Desertification

Yacouba Sawadogo,  lives and farms in the part of Burkina Faso that lies in the Sahel region. 
Here is his story. 

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  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. 

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. 

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. 

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 video discusses Desertification.

Watch this less than two minute video on DROUGHT. :(

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