In Ferlo, Senegal, one of the driest regions of the Sahel, pastoralist communities are leading an innovative experiment. Together with WeForest, monetary backing from Wex, and Deloitte, and technical support from Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières, Pôle Pastoralisme Zones Sèches, the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research, International Center for Research in Agriculture and Development, and the Association for Integrated and Sustainable Development and the Association for Grassroots Development (EGAB), they’re reviving the ecosystem and strengthening their livelihoods, in the middle of a drought-ridden near desert landscape.
With years of hands-on restoration experience across the Sahel, Omar Sall, agroforester and environmentalist at WeForest, supports restoration efforts in Ferlo. Now three years into the project, and across three pastoral units, progress is tangible, he tells us. Over 267,000 trees have grown, 82,000 seedlings have been planted, and 1,076 hectares have been protected. In this interview, he walks us through the challenges, breakthroughs, and surprising lessons from the frontlines of forest restoration in the desert.
Read full article here > https://www.weforest.org/blog/research/this-forest-growing-method-is-defying-drought-and-desertification-in-the-sahel/