Build a barrier of trees along 8,000 kilometers sounds ambitious.
But in fact, eleven African countries, threatened by the phantom of desertification, came together to tackle this challenge – eleven countries with different realities and thousands of people forced to let behind productive land by the absent rain.
But since capitulation is no option, the governments of Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti agreed on a master plan.
Their big goal: The Great Green Wall.
The main promoter of the initiative, that has already planted more than twelve million trees, is the Republic of Senegal. The Sahel in the country‘s deep north is a setting, where desertification can be felt and seen.
Streets are empty. Load donkeys possess the terrain. Cattle and goat herds left for better lands. Here, they have nowhere to graze anymore. Majestic Baobab trees, suffocating from termite invasions, paint an alarming picture.
Within this hostile climate, various actors develop alternatives to combat the phenomenon and improve living conditions for the local population.
This story is about a joint struggle at the front line of climatic change.