Greening the Sahel

Jesse Walker | February 20, 2007

A fascinating story about property rights and environmental regeneration in Niger:

In this dust-choked region, long seen as an increasingly barren wasteland decaying into desert, millions of trees are flourishing, thanks in part to poor farmers whose simple methods cost little or nothing at all....And this has been achieved largely without relying on the large-scale planting of trees or other expensive methods often advocated by African politicians and aid groups for halting desertification, the process by which soil loses its fertility....

Another change was the way trees were regarded by law. From colonial times, all trees in Niger had been regarded as the property of the state, which gave farmers little incentive to protect them. Trees were chopped for firewood or construction without regard to the environmental costs. Government foresters were supposed to make sure the trees were properly managed, but there were not enough of them to police a country more than twice the size of France.

But over time, farmers began to regard the trees in their fields as their property, and in recent years the government has recognized the benefits of this by allowing individuals to own trees. Farmers make money off the trees by selling branches, pods, fruit and bark. Because these sales are more lucrative over time than simply chopping down the trees for firewood, the farmers preserve them.

Virginia Postrel notes that "the behavioral change came first and was ratified by law--a process that is more likely to succeed than a new property-rights regime imposed from outside." It isn't just ownership that's important. It's how you get there.

Comments

|2.20.07 @ 11:49AM|#

People will act in their own long term self-interest. Given property rights, their self-interest is also ecologically sound.

Quel surprise.

|2.20.07 @ 12:00PM|#

but but but....

destroying the valuable ecosystem that is the majestic, wholly organic, NATURAL!, environment which is the Gaia-inspired Sahara Desert is just another example of how you capitalist pigs want to upset NATURE (which has existed, completely unchanged and beautiful, for 10 trillion years before evil mankind arrived). Polluters! Polluters!

|2.20.07 @ 12:06PM|#

It isn't just [insert any institution of liberal democracy] that's important. It's how you get there.

And there's a lesson for jug-ears.

JD|2.20.07 @ 12:06PM|#

Heh. I was going to say "Cue the environmentalists complaining that the increased intensity of 'artificial' farming will only accelerate the pace of ecological disaster in 3, 2, 1..." but I see somebody else beat me to the punch.

Seriously, cool article. And to think that they did it without foreign aid or well-intentioned American college students, too!

|2.20.07 @ 12:09PM|#

In all seriousness - I lived in Niger as a kid, and the Sahara can go screw itself. (Not that humans have much chance of actually pushing back the Sahara proper, but even the Sahel is pretty miserable.)

Thomas Paine\'s Goiter|2.20.07 @ 12:21PM|#

(Not that humans have much chance of actually pushing back the Sahara proper,

Ohhh, I dunno about that. Give technology a chance. Desal combined with genetically altered plants could allow people to push some biomass into the desert and begin reclaiming the sand. Not that it's an overnight process mind you :)

|2.20.07 @ 12:33PM|#

...and the Sahara can go screw itself.

That was good for a morning chuckle. Thanks.

|2.20.07 @ 12:42PM|#

Niger, please.

|2.20.07 @ 2:11PM|#

In the Soviet Union, they had a joke:

q: What would happen if communism took over the Sahara Desert?

a: For five years, nothing. Then there would be a shortage of sand.

|2.20.07 @ 3:14PM|#

Arensen,

That was good for an afternoon LOL. Thanks.

|2.20.07 @ 3:38PM|#

As for reclaiming deserts:
http://permaculture.org.au/?page_id=27
(technical and no pics)