Building a Great Green Wall

Over the past decade, Nomao Alkali, a farmer in Niger, has witnessed a miraculous transformation of the land he inherited from his father: Instead of acres of red-rock desert, he now has fertile land that supports acacia trees and the growth of beans, millet, peanuts, and sesame crops.

“Nine years ago, the land was a disaster,” Alkali says of his farm in the village of Fada, about 130 miles southeast of Niamey, the capital of Niger. “If you put seeds in the ground, you would have almost nothing, the soil was so poor.”

Nomao Alkali is a farmer in Niger. His farm was passed down from his father. Over the past decade, Alkali has seen the land change in a miraculous way. Instead of acres of red-rock desert, he now has fertile land. It supports acacia trees and the growth of beans, millet, peanuts, and sesame crops.

“Nine years ago, the land was a disaster,” Alkali says of his farm. “If you put seeds in the ground, you would have almost nothing, the soil was so poor.”

The change on Alkali’s land happened because of a massive international initiative launched in 2007 to plant millions of trees and shrubs in a 9-mile-wide belt stretching across the entire continent from the coast of Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean to Djibouti on the Red Sea (see map, below). The idea is that creating a huge swath of green could halt the spread of the Sahara desert southward and reverse the land degradation that’s been steadily getting worse in the region for decades.

The project, known as the Great Green Wall, began with funding from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, in partnership with 11 African nations. In January 2021, the World Bank, France, and other donors provided $14 billion in additional funding.

Alkali's farm is in the village of Fada. The village sits about 130 miles southeast of Niamey, the capital of Niger. The change in his land happened because of a huge international effort. Launched in 2007, an initiative set out to plant millions of trees and shrubs in a 9-mile-wide belt stretching across the entire continent. The project goes from the coast of Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean to Djibouti on the Red Sea (see map, below). The idea is that creating a huge green area could halt the spread of the Sahara desert southward. The goal is to restore the land in the region that’s continued to get worse for decades.

The project is known as the Great Green Wall. It began with funding from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. Eleven African nations also partnered to help fund the project. In January 2021, the World Bank, France, and other donors provided another $14 billion in funding.

In Niger alone, community groups, volunteers, and farmers have restored nearly 990,000 acres of land to arability, meaning it is now farmable, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. In Senegal, they’ve planted 11 million trees. Across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, they’ve restored more than 1.3 million acres.

“These restoration efforts are a testament that ordinary people with conviction can have an extraordinary impact on their world,” says Djibril Diallo, executive director of Nature Mauritania, a conservation group in that country.

Community groups, volunteers, and farmers have worked together on the project. In Niger alone, they have helped make nearly 990,000 acres of land farmable, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. In Senegal, they’ve planted 11 million trees. Across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, they’ve restored more than 1.3 million acres.

“These restoration efforts are a testament that ordinary people with conviction can have an extraordinary impact on their world,” says Djibril Diallo, executive director of Nature Mauritania, a conservation group in that country.

The Sahara, which covers 3.5 million square miles, is the largest desert in the world, and it’s growing at an alarming rate. In the past century, the Sahara has grown by 10 percent as the region gets hotter and drier, and experts say climate change is largely to blame.

Just south of the Sahara is the Sahel—a region of semiarid land stretching for thousands of miles that was once fertile and has become more barren and increasingly susceptible to drought as temperatures rise and rainfall decreases. As a result, millions who live there have been displaced by food insecurity and poverty.

The Sahara covers 3.5 million square miles. It is the largest desert in the world, and it’s growing at an alarming rate. In the past century, the Sahara has grown by 10 percent as the region gets hotter and drier. Experts say climate change is largely to blame.

Just south of the Sahara is the Sahel. This region of semiarid land stretches for thousands of miles. The area was once fertile, but things have changed as temperatures rise and rainfall decreases. The land has become more barren, and the area has become more vulnerable to drought. As a result, millions who live there have been displaced by food insecurity and poverty.

This is where the Great Green Wall is going up. Proponents hope it will not only prevent the Sahara from spreading south, but also improve soil quality and reclaim areas that used to be fertile but have effectively been turned into deserts.

Salima Mahamoudou, who oversees ecosystem restoration in the Sahel for the World Resources Institute, grew up in Niger and has witnessed the land’s decline. She recalls going as a child to her family’s village and bird-watching in the dense vegetation with her parents.

“My mom would be scared, because it was so lush that if we stepped too far away from her, she couldn’t see us,” Mahamoudou says. “Today, close to 30 years later, when I go there, I can see for 30 kilometers, because it’s just bare.”

This is where the Great Green Wall is going up. Those who support it hope that will prevent the Sahara from spreading south. They also hope that it will improve soil quality and restore areas that used to be fertile.

Salima Mahamoudou leads ecosystem restoration in the Sahel for the World Resources Institute. She grew up in Niger and has seen the land’s decline. She recalls going as a child to her family’s village and bird-watching with her parents. Back then, there were plenty of trees and other plants.

“My mom would be scared, because it was so lush that if we stepped too far away from her, she couldn’t see us,” Mahamoudou says. “Today, close to 30 years later, when I go there, I can see for 30 kilometers, because it’s just bare.”

The Great Green Wall seeks to reverse this degradation. Trees provide shade and help the soil retain moisture, so planting them is a critical step. But Mahamoudou explains that the people living in these communities also must be convinced to become involved and take care of the trees, so they grow and thrive.

The Great Green Wall will also fight climate change by capturing large amounts of carbon dioxide in the new plants as they grow. And organizers hope it will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in a region where people often struggle to find work.

The Great Green Wall seeks to undo this damage. Trees provide shade and help the soil keep moisture, so planting them is a key step. But Mahamoudou explains that the people living in these communities also must be convinced to become involved and take care of the trees, so they grow and thrive.

The Great Green Wall will also fight climate change. It’ll do so by capturing large amounts of carbon dioxide in the new plants as they grow. And organizers hope it will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in a region where people often struggle to find work.

So far, the project, which the U.N. says will cost $30 billion, is 15 percent complete. When it’s finished, around 2030, the Great Green Wall will become the world’s largest living structure, several times larger than the Great Barrier Reef, which now holds that distinction.

Mahamoudou says making sure it succeeds is “a matter of life and death for our communities.”

The project is about the people who live in the region as much as it’s about restoring the environment, she explains: “We’re trying to bring hope back to these communities.”

The U.N. says that the entire project will cost $30 billion. So far, the work is 15 percent complete. It’s scheduled to be wrapped up around 2030. When it’s finished, the Great Green Wall will become the world’s largest living structure. In fact, it’ll be several times larger than the Great Barrier Reef, which now holds that distinction.

Mahamoudou says making sure it succeeds is “a matter of life and death for our communities.”

The project is about restoring the environment, she says. But it›s also about the people who live in the region, she adds: “We’re trying to bring hope back to these communities.”