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Sahara Circular Gardens Stop Desertification, Provide Food Security

Posted on December 14, 2023 by dishanth

In the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, a transformation is taking root—quite literally. Amidst the golden dunes and arid landscapes, Sahara circular gardens are emerging as oases of hope, pointing to a sustainable way forward in the face of increasing desertification. These meticulously designed green patches are symbols of human ingenuity and active combatants against the degrading soil and challenging climatic conditions of one of the world’s most unforgiving terrains.

Desertification refers to the process where previously fertile land degrades into desert. While natural climate fluctuations play a role, human activities—such as unsustainable farming practices and deforestation—have significantly accelerated the process. The Sahara, already the third largest desert globally, continues to expand, threatening local ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions.

This environmental phenomenon doesn’t just result in a loss of usable land. It disrupts local ecosystems, diminishes water resources, reduces agricultural productivity, and can lead to increased regional conflicts over dwindling resources.

Enter the circular gardens—concentric circles of vegetation that stand defiantly against the vastness of the desert. Here’s a breakdown of why and how Sahara circular gardens represent a beacon of hope in various ways.

Efficiency is paramount in regions like Senegal, where water is more valuable than gold. The design of Sahara circular gardens allows for a central water source, distributing the precious resource evenly to all plants. This hub-and-spoke model ensures that every drop is utilized to its maximum potential. The gardens, known locally as tolou keur, are the most recent incarnation of The Great Green Wall project.

These gardens are more than just a sum of their parts. Together, the plants work in harmony to create a relatively cooler micro-environment that maintains a higher humidity level than the surrounding desert. This microclimate is conducive to plant growth and offers a small reprieve from the otherwise harsh conditions.

The Sahara circular gardens’ genius lies in combining traditional desert farming techniques with modern agricultural knowledge. Local communities have long recognized the value of growing in concentric patterns, but today’s farmers are enhancing these methods with contemporary technology and insights.

Against the monochromatic backdrop of the desert, the Sahara circular gardens are vibrant hubs of life. They host a range of plant species, attracting essential pollinators and beneficial insects. This biodiverse setup supports the garden’s health and strengthens its resilience against pests and diseases.

Beyond the environmental benefits, these gardens have profound socio-economic implications. They provide local communities with a sustainable source of food and income. In an environment as challenging as the Sahara, the success of these agricultural initiatives can make a considerable difference to the economic well-being of the local populace.

Every plant in these gardens plays a role in healing the soil. As plants grow, decay, and get replaced, they return essential organic matter to the ground. Over time, this continuous cycle can restore the soil’s structure and fertility, combating the effects of desertification.

The gardens show that sustainable farming is possible even in adverse conditions. With carefully chosen plants, including those that naturally enrich the soil, these gardens can thrive with minimal external intervention.

The emergence of Sahara circular gardens is a testament to human adaptability and resilience. However, their proliferation also highlights the urgency of our environmental challenges. While these gardens offer localized solutions, they also underscore the need for global action against climate change and land degradation.

Researchers, environmentalists, and local farmers are keenly studying the potential and limitations of these gardens. As knowledge grows, techniques are refined, ensuring these green oases become even more effective in their mission.

The Sahara circular gardens are more than just innovative agricultural projects. They symbolize hope, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit. In the face of global challenges, they remind us that with ingenuity and collaboration, solutions can be found—even in the most unexpected places.

Source Happy Eco News

Renewable energy is fueling a forgotten conflict in Africa’s last colony

Posted on November 30, 2021 by dishanth

Morocco has positioned itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change, with one of the highest-rated national action plans. But though the north African country intends to generate half its electricity from renewables by 2030, its plans show that much of this energy will come from wind and solar farms in occupied land in neighbouring Western Sahara. Indeed, in my research I have looked at how Morocco has exploited renewable energy developments to entrench the occupation.

Western Sahara, a sparsely-populated desert territory bordering the Atlantic Ocean, is Africa’s last colony. In 1975, its coloniser Spain sold it to Morocco and Mauritania in exchange for continued access to Western Sahara’s rich fisheries and a share of the profits from a lucrative phosphates mine.

According to Morocco, Western Sahara formed part of the Moroccan sultanate before Spanish colonisation in the 1880s. However, that year the International Court of Justice disagreed, and urged a self-determination referendum on independence for the indigenous Saharawis. Nevertheless, Morocco invaded and used napalm against fleeing Saharawi refugees.

Western Sahara is about the size of the UK with 1% the population. All the territory east of the red line is controlled by the Polisario, everything west of the line is controlled by Morocco. The government-in-exile is in Tindouf, southwest Algeria. kmusser / wiki, CC BY-SA

Tens of thousands of Saharawis fled to neighbouring Algeria, where the Saharawi liberation front, the Polisario, established a state-in-exile, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Other Saharawis remained under Moroccan occupation.

Today a sandy wall, or berm, runs the length of the country and everything to the east of the berm remains under the control of the Polisario. Numerous landmines deter a large-scale return of refugees, though some Saharawi nomads do live there.

Morocco and Polisario were at war until 1991, when the UN brokered a ceasefire on the promise of a referendum on independence for Saharawis. This referendum has been continuously blocked by Morocco, which considers Western Sahara part of its “southern provinces”.

Since the 1940s the UN and its special committee on decolonisation has maintained a list of non-self governing territories. As territories gained independence, they have gradually been ticked off the list, and those that remain are almost all small Pacific or Caribbean island nations.

In each case, an “administering power” (usually the UK) is officially noted. Western Sahara is the only African territory remaining on the list. It’s also the only territory where the administering power column is left blank – a footnote explains the UN considers it a “question of decolonisation which remained to be completed by the people of Western Sahara”. Morocco however doesn’t see itself as the occupying power or even as the administering power but says that Western Sahara is simply part of its country.

In November 2020, armed war resumed between the two parties. In a recent journal article, my colleagues Mahmoud Lemaadel, Hamza Lakhal and I argue that the exploitation of natural resources, including renewable energy, played no small role in provoking this renewed war.

Renewable energy from occupied land

Western Sahara is very sunny and surprisingly windy – a natural renewable energy powerhouse. Morocco has exploited these resources by building three large wind farms (five more are planned) and two solar farms (another is planned).

Map of wind power resource across Africa. Red and purple = more wind. The purple area in the north-west covers Western Sahara and Mauritania. Global Wind Atlas / DTU, CC BY-SA

But these developments have made Morocco partly dependent on Western Sahara for its energy supply. Morocco already gets 18% of its installed wind capacity and 15% of its solar from the occupied territory, and by 2030 that could increase to almost half of its wind and up to a third of its solar. That’s according to a new report Greenwashing the Occupation by Western Sahara Resource Watch, a Brussels-based organisation I am affiliated with.

In its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris climate agreement, Morocco reports on developments in occupied Western Sahara – which it calls its provinces sud (southern provinces) – as if they were in Morocco. This energy dependence entrenches the occupation and undermines the UN peace process.

According to Saharawi researchers, several Saharawi families have been forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for some of these solar farms. My colleagues have also documented forced eviction associated with the development of the wider energy system in Western Sahara.

Wind farm under construction near Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara. jbdodane / flickr, CC BY-NC-SA

Saharawi refugees have used solar panels for domestic energy since the late 1980s. The SADR-in-exile would now like to roll out small-scale wind and solar installations in the part of Western Sahara that it controls, in order to power the communal wells, pharmacies and other services there that are used by nomads.

I was recently part of a team that assisted the SADR in developing an indicative nationally determined contribution (iNDC) – essentially an unofficial version of the climate action plans each country was required to submit ahead of the recent UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

The Saharawi Republic launched their iNDC at the COP26 People’s Summit, 8 November 2021. Joanna Allan

SADR hopes this may help to attract climate finance. The iNDC can also be interpreted as a challenge to climate injustice. While having negligible responsibility for the climate emergency, the Saharawis nevertheless face some of its worst impacts: ongoing sand storms, flash flooding, and summer temperatures of over 50°C.

The formal NDC process excludes occupied and displaced populations such as Saharawis from global conversations on how to tackle the climate emergency. The iNDC is an assertive step to demand that Saharawis are heard.

Source The Conversation