Sahel …. Plus some title

Credits: Bruno Gerard - ICRISATTypical Sahelian village. Low resilience due to low soil fertility and insufficient land for fallow.

[example text – not to be considered as content]The major constraints to agricultural production in the savanna include poor soil fertility (including low soil organic matter (SOM) content in intensified cropping systems), pests and diseases of crops and livestock, parasitic weeds such as Striga hermonthica (Delile) Benth. (purple witchweed), drought, and competition between crops and livestock for resources. Inadequate policies, weak institutional mechanisms, and poor linkages among farmers, development agencies, and researchers prevent adoption of improved agricultural technologies that can combat these constraints. Most development organizations use traditional extension methods that result in poor adoption of improved technologies.Source: Kamara et al. (2013) Intensive Cereal–Legume–Livestock Systems in West African Dry Savannas in: Hershey, Clair H. and Neate, Paul (eds.) Eco-efficiency: From vision to reality (Issues in Tropical Agriculture series) -- Cali, CO: Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)The results show that vast wastelands of degraded lateritic soils in the Sudano Sahel can be reclaimed by using appropriate water harvesting technologies combined with suitable plant species. Pure plantations of A. tumida can be established for production of renewable firewood and high-protein seeds. Additional species such as Acacia Senegal or Sclerocarya birrea can be used for production of gum arabic or fruit juice and nuts respectively. Tree plantations add organic carbon to the soil and should significantly increase the productivity of pasture plants by improving soil fertility, reducing soil erosion, and increasing water infiltration.

Map showing location