Cleaning the City and Regreening the Land for Positive Chain of Food Production, and Countermeasure for Conflicts among Farmers and Herders in Sahel, West Africa

Abstract

Desertification refers to the degradation of land. In the process, biological productivity is lost. This can occur for many reasons, including natural processes and human activities. It is difficult, if not impossible, to grow crops and fodder on land where desertification has occurred as the land is unfertile. This is a growing problem in countries around the world. The impact is particularly significant when desertification occurs in countries where semi-arid regions are located, as these are the places where vast quantities of plants are grown. With the demand for food on the rise as the human population continues to grow, this is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. Professor Shuichi Oyama, Centre for African Area Studies (CAAS), Kyoto University, Japan, is interested in the unequal arrangement between rural residents who grow food and city residents who consume food, which is one of the factors leading to desertification. He is keen to redress the imbalance of nutrients and prevent and reverse desertification in order that crops and fodder can be replenished and the future of civilisation protected. Oyama's focus is on regreening land where desertification has occurred, as well as cleaning up cities across the Sahel, West Africa. This involves returning organic waste, including animal manure and plant residue, from cities to degraded land in rural areas, where it can help replenish the chemical, physical and biological soil properties. The research is expected to positively impact food production and the fertility of land, as well as reaping societal benefits such as preventing ethnic conflicts among farmers and herders in central Sahel.