Barcelona Field Studies Centre

Damage to fragile environments: management of farming in the Sahel

Management issues

Government View Nomads' View Action
Nomad's herds are too large for the pastures available • Keep as many animals as possible to allow for those that die

• Animals are our wealth and provide all our needs

• Size of herds increasing
Nomads herds are unhealthy. Vaccinations will improve their quality • Can now own more because fewer will die from disease • Large scale vaccination programmes

• Size of herds increasing

Encourage settlement to protect Game Reserves and to collect taxes • Have always followed traditional migration routes that make the best use of a risky environment

• Poaching of game animals

• Aggression over loss of lands

• Compensation paid for loss of land rights. Nomads receive a share of the tourist income from Game Reserves

• Poaching reduced

Intensive farming is leading to soil erosion • Need the land for food production • Construction of stone lines along the contours to increase rainfall infiltration and reduce soil erosion
Reduce family sizes • Children help with farming and are an insurance in old age • Family sizes still large
Provide aid for new water supplies in compensation for loss of grazing land • Herds concentrated on new wells • Deep wells and storage tanks provided

• Erosion concentrated around the wells