Agricultural Territories at Risk
THE SAHEL
Document File
Document 1
What is an agricultural territory?
Agriculture is an important economic activity where humans grow food
or raise livestock (animals) to meet their needs.
An agricultural territory is an area in which the main activities involve
the use of land to grow food for humans or animals to eat. These
activities can include growing plants, grains, vegetables, or fruit. They
can also include raising livestock such as cows, sheep, or chickens.
Pineapple Crop
Potato Crop
Source: Wikipedia Commons
Source: Wikipedia Commons
Dairy Farming
Source: Wikipedia Commons
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Document 2
Agricultural works best in some conditions:
 climate (temperatures, frost-free periods, precipitation) that is good
for the types of crops grown;
Rich
dirt
 fertile soil;
 flat land.
In areas that have these conditions, lots of products can be made. Not all
areas in the world are good for agriculture. In fact, only 40% of the earth’s
surface is used for farming.
Document 3
Agriculture at Risk 3
An agricultural territory is fragile and at risk when it is weakened.
Natural hazards. Hurricanes and tornadoes can destroy harvests.
Lack of water can cause droughts, and too much rain can cause
flooding, which will drown the crops. Also, groups of insects can attack
and kill harvests.
When cities
grow and
take over
new land
Human threats. The human population of the earth is getting bigger
and bigger. More and more, humans live in urban centres. Cities are
going into areas that used to be used for farming. Houses are being
built on the old farm land. This means that because of urban sprawl,
the amount of land that can be used by agriculture is decreasing.
More and more people are living in cities, which means farmers now
have to grow more crops to feed all of the people. They also produce
food to sell to other countries (exportation). To produce more,
farmers practise monoculture and use fertilizers and pesticides to
increase how much is being grown. These techniques can weaken the
soil and pollute water.
Using land to grown only one
type of plant
Product that
helps plants
grow
A product used to kill
bugs
Sometimes, both natural and human threats can be found within the same
agricultural territory, making the land even more helpless.
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Document 4
The Desert
A desert is a region that is unsuitable for humans because it doesn’t
have enough water (less than 150 mm of precipitation per year). It can
also be because of a lack of fertile land. The earth in these regions
can be either too rocky or covered in ice. There are hot deserts like
the Sahara or cold deserts like Greenland and the Antarctic.
The Sahara Desert
The Sahara Desert is located in
Northern Africa. It is one of the
largest deserts in the world.
The Sahara Desert (Lybia)
Source: Wikipedia Commons
The Negev Desert (Israel)
Source: Wikipedia Commons
The Negev is a rocky desert. It has a
very hot climate with little to no
precipitation.
Source: Wikipedia Commons
The East Coast of Greenland
The east coast of Greenland
is a cold desert. The earth
there is rocky, and cold
temperatures make it
impossible for plants to grow.
Source: Wikipedia Commons
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Document 5
The Sahel: An Agricultural Territory
A number of agricultural territories in the world are at risk. One of
these territories, the Sahel, is mainly affected by drought and
desertification.
A long time
without rain or
snow.
What is the Sahel?
One of the
largest
deserts in
the world
The word Sahel comes from the Arab word Sahil. It means to
“border”. The Sahel is a big area on the African continent that
borders the Sahara Desert and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Red Sea. It also stretches across the following African countries
from west to east: Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali,
Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea.
Dry
A short
powerful
rain
storm.
Sec
The weather in this territory is arid or semi-arid. This means that
there is little or no precipitation (rain or snow). When precipitation
does fall, it is usually in the form of a downpour. Drought has become
worse in some areas of the Sahel and the desert is growing. It has
grown over 200 kilometres to the south in the last forty years or so.
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Document 6
Temp.
in º C
Prec.
in mm
Annual Temperatures and Precipitation in Sudan
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
Jun
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
23
24
28
31
34
32
31
32
32
32
28
24
0
0
0
1
4
7
49
69
21
5
0
0
Document 7
Temp.
in º C
Prec.
in mm
Annual Temperatures and Precipitation in Niger
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept
.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
24
27
31
34
34
32
29
28
29
31
28
25
0
0
3
6
35
75
143
187
90
16
1
0
Compare the above temperature and precipitation levels with those of
France, located in a more temperate climate:
Document 8
Temp.
in º C
Prec.
in mm
Annual Temperatures and Precipitation in France (Paris region)
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
3
4
7
10
14
17
19
18
16
11
7
4
54
43
32
38
52
50
55
62
51
49
50
49
Now compare them to temperature and precipitation levels similar to those in
Nunavik:
Document 9
Temp.
in º C
Prec.
in mm
Annual Temperatures and Precipitation in Arctic Regions
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
- 27
-28
-26
-19
-8
0.5
4
4
0
-7
- 17.2
- 24
Approximately 160 mm per year
Not all countries in the Sahel are affected by desertification in the
same way. Some countries only have a small part in the Sahel but
others have most of their country in the desert. Overall, the more you
go south, the more vegetation there is. The Senegal River and the
Niger River make irrigation possible.
Water the land when there is no
rain.
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Document 10
People
that
share
the
same
culture
Population of Countries in the Sahel
Countries located in the Sahel Desert are home to many different
ethnicities, the most important being the Bambara, the Hausa, the
Fulani, and the Tuareg. Most of these people are rural, meaning the
people live on agriculture.
The Bambara
A Bambara Village
Source: etudescoloniales.ca
They stay in one area
The Bambara are sedentary farmers. They live mostly in Mali but
can be found in almost all countries of the Sahel. They live in
villages and practice agriculture.
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Document 11
The Hausa
Hausa preparing the soil
Source :ICE
The Hausa are also sedentary farmers. They mostly live in small villages
in northern Niger and Nigeria and practice subsistence farming, which
means they live off their own plant crops and livestock.
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Document 12
The Fulani
Fulani Farmers and Their Herds (Mali)
Source: Wikipedia Commons
A type of
cattle
with long
horns and
a hump on
the back
The Fulani live in almost all countries of the Sahel. They raise cows
and zebus and are nomadic for the most part. This means they
move around in search of new pastures and sources of water for
their herds. Some Fulani have adopted a sedentary way of life.
Land where herds of animals can eat grass (graze).
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Document 13
The Tuareg
Tuareg Cattle Farmers Using a Well
Source: DijOncscOpe
The Tuareg are usually nomadic sheep and cattle farmers that
live in parts of Niger, Mali, Chad, and Nigeria. They travel with
their herds from one well to another. Due to the lack of rain,
they must continue to dig deeper and deeper to find water. Like
the Fulani, many of the Tuareg have adopted a sedentary way of
life.
A hole
made in
the ground
to get
water
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Document 14
Comparison of Populations in the Sahel
COUNTRY
Number of
inhabitants (2000)
Number of
inhabitants (2010)
% of labour force*
practising
agriculture
Senegal
9 393 000
12 323 250
55%
Mauritania
2 500 000
3 290 630
36%
Gambia
Burkina
Faso
1 300 000
1 824 160
75%
11 800 000
16 241 810
75%
Mali
12 000 000
13 796 350
80%
Niger
11 000 000
15 878 270
80%
Nigeria
130 000 000
152 217 340
30%
Chad
7 152 000
10 330 00
53%
Sudan
30 000 000
34 475 690
62%
Eritrea
3 725 000
5 073 279
75%
* Labour
force: members of the population that are able to work
Growing number of people
The population increase of countries in the Sahel is strong, and their
birth rates are high. The life expectancy is on the rise due to
improvements in medicine. All of these factors have led to a rapid
increase in the populations of these countries and, as a result, an
increase in the need for food.
Number of births per 1000
people.
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Document 15
Agricultural Activities in the Sahel
A number of agricultural activities are practised throughout the
countries of the
Sahel:
Livestock Production
Livestock production is practised in two ways:
1) In the villages for food for the people of the community. This
provides the villagers with milk, meat, and poultry (chickens and
other birds);
Sedentary Cattle Farmers in Niger
Source: DijOnscOpe
2) Livestock production the way the Fulani or Tuareg do it: farmers
and their herds of zebus, cows, sheep, or goats travel long
distances looking for food and water. Cattle farmers dig wells to
find the water they need for their animals. In the past few
years, to meet a growing need, farmers have increased the
amount of animals that they have. This has led to a bigger need
for new pastures and water. These practices add to the
destruction of the environment.
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Document 15 continued
Food Crops
Food crops are a main and important source of food for people of the
Sahel. Farmers there grow cereal grains such as millet, sorghum, corn,
and rice. Millet and sorghum are the main food sources and are grains
that are well adapted to the climate.
Citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, etc.) and mangos are grown in the
southern regions where irrigation is often used.
Irrigated Crops in the Sahel
Source: Good Planet
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Document 15 continued
Millet Field
Source: clerval.pagesperso-orange.fr
Rice Crop in the Sahel
Sorghum Crop
Source: fao.org
Mango Tree
Source : Wikipedia Commons
Mango is a fruit rich in
vitamins. It is eaten locally and
exported to other countries.
Source: Wikipedia Commons
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Document 15 continued
Exported Crops
Exported crops are sold to other countries. They are grown in the
southern Sahel where there is a little more precipitation. They are
primarily peanuts and cotton.
Women at Work – Peanut Crops – Senegal
Source: isavocat
Cotton Fields
Every year new farmers
decide to grow cotton
and clear-cut to make
room for agricultural
land. This crop needs
fertilizer to grow. Both
these practices are a
threat to the
environment.
Cut down trees
Source: Wikipédia Commons
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Document 16
The Sahel and Desertification
Since the 20th century, precipitation has become rarer in the Sahel.
Each year, large areas of agricultural territory become desert land. As
a result, farmers practice clear-cutting to spread their crops over
more land and produce more. This destroys the natural vegetation and
exposes the earth to violent winds. The wind carries away the soil
between harvests and destroys the environment.
Document 26: Productivity levels between 1953 and 1993
The field is three times as large
in 1993, but it produces seven
times less than in 1953.
Source: Eden Foundation
These conditions make it difficult to meet the needs of the people.
Herds have to travel long distances to find food. The situation is
terrible. In several countries of the Sahel, there is the risk of
famine, meaning people do not have enough food to guarantee their
survival.
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Document 17
Agriculture and Territories at Risk throughout the World
The Earth’s Climate
Source: Les biomes, Encarta
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Document 18
Agriculture throughout the World
Source: United Nations
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Document 19
Territories at Risk throughout the World
Source: United Nations Environment Program
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