Africa begins a great Green Wall to stop the advance of the Sahara and create fertile land – and Brazil is along for the ride!

A new project to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land is underway and Brazil is helping. Find out how the African region is receiving plantations on 100 million hectares

The Sahara Desert, known as the hottest on Earth, was not always like this. Around 6.000 years ago, this region experienced frequent rain and a humid climate. However, approximately 5.500 years ago, a changing climate turned the Sahara into a scorching, inhospitable desert, which has since expanded at an alarming rate of 10 km per year. To combat this desertification, an ambitious plan to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land is gaining momentum, and construction of the Great Green Wall is already underway. This epic project aims to not only halt the advance of the Sahara desert, but also revitalize the region's ecosystem, offering new hope for Africa's future and global food security.

How the project to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land came about?

The idea of ​​transforming the Sahara desert into fertile land arose when British biologist Richard Barbe Baker traveled through North Africa in the 1950s. After traveling 40.000 km and crossing 24 countries, he concluded that it was necessary to do something to revitalize the degraded lands of region.

Then the concept of the green belt emerged, a plan to reforest a 50 km wide strip of land with the aim of enriching the Sahara region.

However, this concept took a long time to come to fruition, but at the beginning of the 15st century, political leaders in the region began to support the construction or more precisely the cultivation of the great green wall. It was planned to plant trees on a strip of land 7775 km wide and XNUMX km long. A wall that would cross the entire Africa from Djibouti to Senegal. Thus, the project was launched in 2007. 

Brazil is helping with the construction of the mega project

Brazil, through Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), is playing a crucial role in the ambitious Great Green Wall project in Africa. This project, which aims to stop the advance of the Sahara Desert and transform arid areas into fertile land, is an initiative that involves the collaboration of several countries, and Brazilian experience in sustainable agriculture and soil management is being fundamental.

A Embrapa is sharing technologies and knowledge developed over decades of research in Brazil, especially those related to the Brazilian semi-arid region, which presents climatic challenges similar to those found in Africa.

Among Brazilian contributions are techniques for recovering degraded soils, water resources management and agroforestry systems that combine tree cultivation with agriculture and livestock farming, promoting the sustainability and resilience of areas affected by desertification. These techniques not only help contain desert expansion, but also improve agricultural productivity, generating income for local communities and contributing to food security.

Furthermore, Brazil is helping to train African technicians and farmers, promoting exchanges and training that allow the adaptation of Brazilian technologies to the specific conditions of each region of the African continent.

This international collaboration reflects Brazil's commitment to sustainable development and the fight against climate change, strengthening ties between Southern Hemisphere nations in search of innovative solutions to global environmental challenges.

The construction of the mega project in Africa

Planting trees on 100 million hectares of land to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land may seem like a difficult task. However, the Great Green Wall is a very successful project. In the 1960s, Algeria's green dam became an unlikely fairy tale. At the time, Algeria was facing similar problems.

The Sahara Desert was spreading across North Africa, drastically reducing agricultural land. Over several decades, Algeria built the green dam, a 20 km wide green strip that stretches 1500 km from west to east. Drought-resistant Aleppo Pines were planted on 3 million hectares of land and the soil was covered with esparto grass.

Later, Cypress and other trees were also planted. This project to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land has shown significant results in a relatively short period of time, allowing Algeria to become more self-sufficient in food than its neighbors.

However, the project had its ups and downs and the most significant problem was the gradual weakening of the plants. Despite this, the results of Algeria's Green Wall were indisputable, leading the government to allocate 552 million dollars for the regeneration of areas reforested to date.

How are trees selected for the Sahara Desert?

Projects in Algeria are also meticulously studied in regions south of the Sahara desert and the plants to be planted will be carefully selected. The choice of trees is extremely important because it directly affects the survival of the great Green wall that promises to transform the Sahara desert into fertile land.

For example, in Senegal it was decided to plant the species known as balanites aegyptiaca, also called the desert date palm. This tree is ideal for dry climates and can survive for over 100 years in these environments. It can go without water for up to 2 years and still produces fruit during periods of drought.

Furthermore, even though flooding is unlikely in this region of Africa, this tree is resistant to flooding and fire, making it ideal for hot areas where the sun is intense, as if it were being placed on a grill.