Good Practices in Soil and Water Conservation
Dr. Klaus Ackermann, Dr. Alexander Schöning, Martina Wegner and Andrea Wetzer
The Sahel is a region where the population has always faced a high degree of climate variability, manifested both in terms of time (unexpected dry spells can occur during the rainy season) and in terms of space (rainfall can vary greatly from one area to another).
Over the last two decades, the effects of climate change have exacerbated the already difficult conditions. According to projections made by climatologists, the Sahel will experience a rise in temperatures combined with highly variable rainfall and an increase in extreme weather events.
Since the 1980s and 1990s, German cooperation has been providing support to people living in the Sahel for the development of technical, environmental and agricultural strategies and approaches. Efforts to achieve the sustainable management of the environment and improve different types of landscape unit have focused on soil and water conservation (SWC) and soil protection and restoration (SPR) techniques.
These SWC/SPR techniques have helped people in the Sahel to manage their ecosystems more effectively and improve their productive land. As a result, communities are better prepared to cope with environmental changes (changes in the climate, land degradation, etc.) and the impact of shocks, particularly droughts
Publication Details
- Published: 2012
- Publisher: Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH