CLIMATE RESILIENCE
GROWING CIRCLES IN THE SAND
SENEGAL
When you travel, diving into local agricultural traditions that differ from your own can spark your own innovations. In Senegal, ancient farming techniques are making a comeback, offering fresh inspiration for designing a more sustainable garden back home.
What's
changing
As climate change, deforestation and poor farming push the Sahara’s sands into the Sahel, the Great Green Wall, a vast project spanning from Senegal to Djibouti, aims to create a green barrier to halt desertification. Since its launch in 2007, the project’s vision has evolved from a wall of trees to a mosaic of green spaces designed to support biodiversity, create jobs, restore degraded land and sequester millions of tons of carbon. Although progress has been slow, standout efforts in some countries are offering lessons in land restoration that can inform how to sustain landscapes in communities far from the region.
What's already
possible
In Senegal, community gardens are changing the lives of rural residents and advancing the goals of the Great Green Wall by providing efficient, sustainable methods for achieving food security in arid and unpredictable climates.
Seizing
the opportunity
A few traditional gardening methods are literally reshaping the landscape of Senegal’s Sahel by trapping water and allowing plants to grow in harsh climates. Circular gardens, known in Senegal as “tolou keur,” were envisioned by local engineer Aly Ndiaye. These gardens have an outer ring of resilient trees that can withstand extreme heat and an inner cluster of food crops. The plants inside the circle benefit from the shade and the improved soil conditions created by the trees. While these gardens have thrived in certain areas, another approach using half-moon trenches has helped rehabilitate dry land elsewhere. In this method, the trenches capture rainwater that would otherwise be lost, storing moisture that recharges groundwater supplies. Farmers cultivate diverse plant species in and near the trenches, mimicking natural forest ecosystems.
Standout
tactic
Traditional agricultural methods, not often used in recent times, have proven instrumental in revitalizing food production. While solar pumps assist in irrigating circular gardens, many locals have found even greater success with time-honored irrigation techniques. The half-moon trenches, a long-standing agricultural practice, has experienced a resurgence as part of renewed efforts to combat desertification and restore arid lands.
How
it helps
Though the Great Green Wall may fall short of its 2030 target to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land, Senegal has emerged as a standout success with community-led agriculture driving significant progress in the Sahel. These efforts bolster food security and provide meaningful employment opportunities, helping to retain local youth who might otherwise migrate to cities or abroad.
Diving
deeper
How can community gardens mitigate potential unintended environmental impacts, such as the introduction of invasive species or alterations to local ecosystems?
Increasing
impact
This initiative could achieve a greater impact by encouraging ecotourism packages that allow visitors to observe the return of wildlife, learn about traditional farming practices, and volunteer in restoration projects. Tourism could diversify income sources for local communities.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
