sahel
Every article and hero in Arborpedia that touches this subject.
№ 126TreesDesert Date: The Thorny Tree That Fights a Disease in the Water
A spiny, drought-proof tree of the Sahel whose bitter-sweet 'date' feeds the dry country, whose seeds press a fine oil — and whose fruit, dropped in water, kills the snails that carry one of Africa's great parasitic diseases.
Jul 2026Read →
№ 140RestorationDryland Restoration: Zai Pits, Half-Moons, and Farmer-Managed Regeneration
The low-cost techniques that reversed desertification across the Sahel — planting pits, contour bunds, and protecting the root systems already underground.
Jul 2026Read →
№ 203TreesGum Arabic: The Acacia Sap in Half Your Groceries
A thorny Sahelian acacia that bleeds a water-soluble gum used to emulsify soft drinks, bind sweets, coat pills, and float watercolours — a Sahara-edge crop that survives where almost nothing grows.
Jul 2026Read →
№ 537WaterZai Pits: The Planting Holes That Reclaimed the Sahel
The small manure-filled planting pits that catch rain, concentrate fertility, and have brought hardened, abandoned farmland back into production across the dry lands of West Africa.
Jul 2026Read →
- № 24
Tony Rinaudo
Niger · 1957–present
Australian agronomist known as the 'Forest Maker' who developed Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration, restoring over 200 million trees across Africa.
- № 28
Yacouba Sawadogo
Burkina Faso · 1946–present
Burkinabe farmer who revived ancient Zai planting techniques to reclaim Sahel desert and restore forests in Burkina Faso.