New Agriculturist

Fighting sand encroachment: Lessons from Mauritania

By Charles Jacques Berte
Published by FAO
Website: www.earthprint.com
2010, 88pp, ISBN 978 9 25106 531 0(Pb), US$25 or free to download

Desertification in Mauritania has reduced the amount of available arable land, grazing land, forests and water resources, with two-thirds of the country now covered in sand dunes. Roads, oases, crops, irrigation channels and dams are buried as sand dunes move, causing economic damage and threatening livelihoods. By explaining how a project in Mauritania, implemented by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, fixed sand dunes and stopped sand encroachment, Fighting sand encroachment aims to serve as a useful blueprint for similar projects across Africa.

The project, which ran for nine years and ended in 2009, used 400,000 plants to fix 857 hectares of threatened land on the outskirts of Nouakchott, the capital city. According to the report, involving the local community and national authorities in sand control activities was key to achieving long-term and sustainable results. With explanations of the processes of sand encroachment and control techniques, including mechanical stabilisation and biological fixation, this book will be of interest to anyone working to combat desertification.

Date published: July 2010