Sahel region, West Africa Restoration of degraded land using urban household waste in the Republic of Niger Project “Cleaning the Cities, Greening the Land”

The Sahel is a band of semiarid land on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert in western Africa. Due to a burgeoning population, agricultural area per person is dwindling, causing chronic food shortages, hunger and poverty. Every year during the rainy season, agricultural and stock-farming peoples (such as the Fulani and Tuareg) confront each other repeatedly over grazing land. Fatalities from these conflicts have risen sharply in recent years.

Our project began research activities in the Republic of Niger in 2000. In 2012 we launched the Niger Field Station, beginning intensive research and educational activities in Niger and other western African countries. Today, via a JICA grassroots technical cooperation project, we are advancing an initiative against desertification. In partnership with local residents and Ministry of Environment and Anti-desertification of the Republic of Niger, we are using household waste to green the Sahel, fighting desertification while improving hygiene in urban environments. We are strengthening partnerships not only with universities and research facilities in Japan but also with local research institutions, including universities, government agencies, laboratories, international research facilities, agricultural testing facilities and Niger National Weather Service and other western African countries, deploying joint research to tackle vital social issues.