Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
5.3
© Oxford University Press 2009
What are the
agricultural
characteristics of
nomadic herding in
the Sahel?
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
Where is the Sahel?
The Sahel is a belt of semi-arid land at the ( northern /
southern ) edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa.
The Sahel separates
the Sahara Desert to
the north and the
savanna to the south
Mauritania
Senegal
Mali
Burkina
Faso
Niger
Chad
Sudan
Eritrea
Nigeria
Ethiopia
Somalia
It lies approximately between 11°N and
20°N. It stretches across many countries.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
1
Climate
Describe the temperature
and rainfall patterns of
Zinder, a city in the Sahel.
Zinder
Its annual mean temperature
reaches 28°C.
10°C
Annual mean
temperature: 28C
Its annual range of temperature is
around ____°C.
10
It is ( cold / hot ) throughout the
year.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
What kind of
1
Climate
climate does the
Sahel have?
Zinder
Its annual rainfall is ( low /
high ), about 471 mm.
Annual rainfall:
471 mm
Most rain falls between _______
July
and ________,
August which are the
( summer / winter ) months in
the Northern Hemisphere.
The Sahel has a ( tropical /
polar ) ( arid / semi-arid /
humid ) climate.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
1
Climate
© Oxford University Press 2009
Why it is dry in
the Sahel?
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
How would you
1
Climate
The rainfall in the
Sahel is
( constant /
variable ) and
( reliable /
unreliable ).
It may be wet in
one year and
then very dry in
other years
describe the rainfall
pattern of the Sahel?
Variability in rainfall averages from June to October
in the Sahel, 1950-2004
Source: JISAO (A joint institute between the University of Washington and the NOAA)
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
2
Drainage and relief
Niger
Much
The
River
of the
_______
Sahel has
and athe
( low /
River______
high
) Nile
relief, drain
the
Sahel.
except
the
eastern
However,
cover only
a
part
wherethey
highlands
in Sudan
relative
smallare
area.
and
Ethiopia
found.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the physical environment of the
Sahel?
3
Soils and vegetation
Thin and
infertile
brown soils
Strong insolation
leading to a high
evaporation rate
___________
What
environmental
Little
Insufficient
factors contribute
organic
soil moisture
matter to this?
Limits
vegetation
growth
© Oxford University Press 2009
Although the plants may dry
In the Sahel, the natural
up, they can still
hold the
grassland
vegetation are __________
topsoil and prevent it from
and ________
shrubs
being blown away by strong
winds
Vegetation cover in the Sahel
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
How do people in the Sahel make a living?
Most
In areas
people
where
practise
conditions for
________________.
cultivation
are more
nomadic herding
favourable,
some people
may
They rear livestock
and move
grow
crops
such
peanuts
from one
place
toas
another
to
and
lookmillet.
for ______
water and ________.
pasture
Moving to
another spot
© Oxford University Press 2009
Grazing of livestock
around water spots
Pasture and
water exhausted
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What is the nomadic herding system in the
Sahel?
Inputs
What are Farming
the
processes
characteristics
of
1 Moving the herds in
this farming
system?
search
of water and pasture
Physical inputs
1 Climate
• Strong solar radiation
2 Watering
• Annual rainfall 200-600 mm. It is
3 Milking
unreliable
4 Mating
( Arable
farming
/ Livestock rearing
)
2 Infertile
brown
soil
5 Processing
dairy products
3 Vegetation
cover/ Extensive ) farming
( Intensive
• Shrubs and grassland
( Subsistence / Commercial ) farming Outputs
4 Herds
Milk, meat,
hides
( Low-technology
/ High-technology
) farming
Cultural
inputs
1 Labour
( Sedentary / Non-sedentary ) farming
• Mainly for subsistence use
2 Simple and traditional technology
• A small part for sale
3 Little energy input
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What are the farming constraints in the
Sahel?
Farming constraints
Physical
constraints
Water
shortages
© Oxford University Press 2009
Infertile
soil
Cultural
constraints
A low level of
technology
Poverty
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What are the farming constraints in the
Sahel?
Low carrying capacity
The maximum size of population that the available
resources can support is called the _________________
carrying capacity
of the land.
Just reached carrying capacity
© Oxford University Press 2009
Part 5
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
What are the farming constraints in the
Sahel?
Low carrying capacity
In the Sahel, the carrying capacity is ( low / high ). It is
0.2 to 0.7 household per square kilometre
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
How do the nomads in the Sahel adapt to
the environment?
1
Migration of herds/Transhumance
What are the
advantages of
transhumance?
The old patch can be
left fallow for grass
to grow again.
The ecological
balance can be
maintained.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Herds are moved to another site
Herds are moved to another site
Herds
are grazed
at a
when the
pasture
is exhausted
the
pasture
is exhausted
Thewhen
herds
return
oldspot
site again
site
nearto
a the
water
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
How do the nomads in the Sahel adapt to
the environment?
2
Keeping a variety of animal species
Different types of animals
What are
the advantages
eat different
types
of plants:
of keeping such a
Herds Food required
variety of animal species?
Camel The branches and
leaves of trees and
Nomads
The various
cananimal
make good
species
shrubs
use
can of
provide
different
nomads
plant with a
10
Goat
The
of trees
species
rich mix
in
ofleaves
the
dairy
pasture.
products
camels
and shrubs
at different
times.
It prevents any one
Sheep
Grass
particular
plant species
Cattle
Grassexhausted.
from being
© Oxford University Press 2009
10–12 donkeys
25–30
cattle
100 small
goats and
sheep
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
How do the nomads in the Sahel adapt to
the environment?
3
Controlling the number of animals in
the herd
With adequate rainfall and favourable vegetation conditions
With inadequate rainfall or drought
Reduce the size
of the herd
© Oxford University Press 2009
The thorny plants
and rough grasses
can grow
What are well.
reasonably
the
The
ecological
advantages?
balance can be
maintained.
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What has happened to the Sahel in recent
years?
What impact
does desertification
degradation
Environmental
____________
has
have on the
and livestock
been happening
in people
this area.
in the area?
The amount of natural vegetation
is decreasing.
The
poor environment can only
support
and
The soil aisvery
poorlow
andpopulation
soil _______
erosion
a
herds.
isfew
serious.
hunger
The herds may die of ________.
_____________
Desertification occurs and the
Food
shortages
may result in
land becomes
unproductive.
hunger and famine among people.
(Credit: Eddy Posthuma de
Boer/International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Scene in the Sahel in recent
Societies) years
© Oxford University Press 2009
Part 5
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
What has gone wrong?
Is nature causing problems?
Pasture decreases
There are no more pasture
and water. Herds die
Unreliable rainfall
Nomads
move in
search of
water and
pasture
© Oxford University Press 2009
Prolonged
drought
Vegetation cannot regenerate.
Pasture and water are used up
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What has gone wrong?
Are humans causing problems?
1
Increase in population
Population in the four selected countries in the Sahel
Population
(2006)
(million)
Population
Birth rate
growth
(2008) (per
(2006)
1,000 people)
Mali
12
3%
48
Niger
13.7
3.5%
46
Chad
10.5
3.1%
44
Ethiopia
77.2
2.6%
40
0.7%
12
More developed
countries
(Source: World
Development Indicators
database, the World
Bank/2008 World
Population Data Sheet,
Population Reference
Bureau)
In the Sahel, there is a ( slow / rapid ) population
growth and ( low / high ) birth rates.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What has gone wrong?
Are humans causing problems?
1
Increase in population
The rapid
rate of increase in population adds pressure
These
lead to:
on the land.
Number of
Carrying capacity
Further land
This
leads to
> the following
people
of the landpractices:
degradation
A Converting
grazing land
to farmland
© Oxford University Press 2009
B Reducing
fallowing
periods
C Overgrazing
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
What has gone wrong?
Are humans causing problems?
2
Misuse of water resources
Local governments in the Sahel want the nomads to
become sedentary pastoralists in order to get taxes from
With Water
more water
supply,
and pasture
Water in this
them.What
people
rear
animals
People area
dig wells
notmore
enough
for
is used
up are
Pasture
problems will
and
boreholes
thenomads
large herd
decreases
Staying in the same place
permanently,
the
occur
if with the problem of water supply. Many
need
to deal
nomads
stay
local
governments
dig boreholes to tap water from
in the same
underground.
place for living?
Water table drops
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
Physical constraints of farming in the Sahel
Water shortages
Rainfall is inadequate, with an annual total of
200-600 mm.
Drought is common.
There are no large rivers in the region. It makes
the development of irrigation systems difficult.
Infertile soil
Sub-arid brown soil is thin and infertile. It is
easily eroded.
There is sparse vegetation and pastureland.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
Cultural constraints of farming in the Sahel
A low level of technology
The main human input is ( labour / machinery ).
There is little energy input in terms of machines,
irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides.
The yield is low.
Poverty
Both the people and the country are poor. They
do not have the money to improve the physical
environment through cultural inputs.
© Oxford University Press 2009
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
A
Converting grazing land to farmland
More of the land formerly used for pasture is being used
for growing crops in order to feed the increasing
population.
What
Infertile soil
problem
does it cause?
Crops absorb particular
nutrients
Put further pressure on
the already poor soil
© Oxford University Press 2009
A farmer working on a peanut field in Senegal
(Credit: Vince Streano/Corbis)
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
B
Reducing fallowing periods
In order to produce more food, farmers in the Sahel have
reduced the fallowing periods of fields.
Fallowing
Fallowing
© Oxford University Press 2009
This causes depletion of
soil nutrients.
Soil erosion and
degradation
environmental ___________
are worsened.
Combating famine―Is technology a panacea for food shortages?
Part 5
C
Overgrazing
Nomads have been
rearing more livestock
because
the rapid increase in
population puts
pressure on
producing more food;
cattle can be sold to Sheep drinking at a water hole in the Sahel
(Credit: FAO [18781/I.Balderi])
cities and distant
markets since
1. Pastureland does not have
transport has improved. enough time to recover.
be of herds
2. TheWhat
largewould
number
resulted
from
will _______
and
destroy the
trample
rearing
thin
soil. more herds?
© Oxford University Press 2009