The man who won the desert

African Yacouba Sawadogo from Burkina Faso

It is called the man who won the desert. Rather, he won a terrible harbinger of the desert - Sahel: when dry year foliage disappears, the trees are dying, and the land turns into a crust from which next year for sure nothing grows. Sahel comes every year and last otvoёvyvaet fertile land. Africans are struggling with this phenomenon using the ancient technique Zai: dig wells in which rainwater is delayed (otherwise it simply spreads over the red-hot earthen scab and evaporates). But there was a time that even Zai did not help, and many families have emigrated to neighboring countries (Gabon and others.) Where you do not have time to get the Sahel.

Jacob did not leave, and began to wrestle with the problem.
He came up with not just digging wells and

1) put back the straw that staying longer would the moisture
2) do it in advance, before the sowing
3) hooked on the field termites that its moves would make the soil porous, friable, and therefore able to hold more water

And it turned out that it was impossible at anybody and they were thrown and strength and western humanitarian aid! At present Yakubu rose garden, then forest, then many acres of woods and fields. I wonder what his opponents methods (tribal chiefs) forbade the peasants listen to Yakubu, as it is contrary to the traditions ... In the end, opponents of innovation set fire to plantations Yakubu and he had to start all over again. But he did not give up, start all over again and now his achievements are recognized by all.

via ibigdan





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