Skip to content

We use cookies on our website to personalize your experience and improve our efforts. By continuing, you agree to the terms of our privacy policy.

A Farmer Transforms Her Land in the Heart of the Great Green Wall 

Written by Lindsay Cobb
Rows of seedlings in a community nursery in Chad, helping farmers manage dry conditions with drought-resistant plants.

Situated on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, Koulikoro, Mali is on the frontlines of a slow-moving environmental and humanitarian crisis. Extreme temperatures, extended periods of drought, and desertification are making it increasingly more difficult for farmers like Sitan Camara to make a living on their land. 

The long-deteriorating conditions of the Sahel region prompted the Great Green Wall movement in the 1970’s. More recently, the African Union has relaunched the initiative to halt the spread of the Sahara Desert through the Sahel region and restore degraded lands for the benefit of people, economies, and the planet. The goal is to restore 100 million hectares of land (from Senegal to Sudan) with trees and plants that also benefit the people living in these impoverished regions.  

Before and after comparison of a Senegalese Forest Garden transformation as part of the Great Green Wall initiative.
Trees for the Future works across sub-Saharan Africa, working in four countries within the Great Green Wall. This before and after comparison is of a Senegalese Forest Garden.

Agroforestry nonprofit Trees for the Future (TREES) is contributing to the movement by training farmers like Sitan in a sustainable agroforestry approach called Forest Gardening. 

“We have received technical training on the production of vegetable crops, compost, and the control of crop pests,” Sitan says of her training. “Especially the seeds and work materials received from [TREES] allowed us to produce better than before.” 

Sitan transforming her Malian farm within the Great Green Wall.
Sitan is transforming her Malian farm in the heart of Africa’s Great Green Wall.

Sitan joined TREES’ training program in July of 2021. With guidance from local TREES staff, she and her husband identified a one hectare stretch of their land to establish a Forest Garden. At the time, the parcel of land had 250 trees on it. Today, there are more than 1,100 trees growing in the same space. 

Malian farmer Brehima Sinaba restoring his land using the Forest Garden Approach.
Malian farmer Brehima Sinaba is restoring his land through the Forest Garden Approach too.

“This project has been a revival in terms of work and economy for us,” Sitan says. 

Sitan isn’t alone. TREES currently works in four countries within the Great Green Wall zone: Mali, Chad, Senegal, and Gambia. As of March 2022, the organization has helped farmers in these four countries plant 33.7 million trees – all of which contribute to the overarching goal of the African Union and the Great Green Wall.  

By country: 

  • Senegal: 29.9 million since 2016 
  • Mali: 1.38 million since 2020 
  • Gambia: 962,000 since 2021 
  • Chad: 1.4 million since 2021 
Community nursery in Chad supports farmers with drought-resistant plants.
A community nursery in Chad helps farmers manage dry conditions and a limited water supply – 1 Million Trees Planted in Chad

TREES’ work in the Great Green Wall zone is made possible in part through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. The Arbor Day Foundation funds projects in Chad, Mali, and Senegal. TREES also works in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, and Central African Republic. Learn more about TREES’ work across Africa and donate to reach more farmers like Sitan at trees.org.

Add Impact to Your Inbox