Growing a World Wonder - The Great Green Wall

Mar 28

Mar 28 Growing a World Wonder - The Great Green Wall

The Great Green Wall. The ‘eco-preneurial’ world-wonder few people know about, but which has been making a difference in the fight against climate change.

In Senegal in 2008, the first seed of what will eventually be the largest living structure on the planet was planted. It marked the beginning of the Great Green Wall (GGW), a pan-African movement which aims to plant millions of trees across a strip of land measuring 8,000km long and 15km wide, from Senegal to Djibouti. It was agreed upon in 2007 by 11 African countries - Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Chad. Together, they form the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW). Its aims include: to protect the land, create improved food security and jobs, and bring stability to people's lives.

The GGW was initiated to stop the spread of the Sahara Desert, which covers roughly 31% of the African continent. Here, desertification has been accelerated due to a decline in rainfall, soil degradation, and over-grazing. This has led to livestock dying, a severe lack of water, and increased emigration. To counteract these effects of climate change, the GGW is being planted along the Sahel, the strip of land separating the desert from the tropical forests. So far, it has increased biodiversity and encouraged people to collaborate in recuperating the land, giving it life again. Many of the trees being planted are acacia trees which hold water. This has resulted in formerly dry wells replenishing and the land becoming better adapted for growth. The acacia tree also brings economic value since it produces fruit and gum Arabic, found in food additives and pharmaceutical products, for which global demand is currently outstripping supply.

The overall aim of the GGW is to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon and create 10 million jobs in rural areas by 2030. Some of its biggest successes have been in Ethiopia, where 15 million hectares of degraded land have been restored, followed by Senegal at 12 million, Nigeria and Niger at 5 million and Burkina Faso at 3 million.

However, the movement is not just about planting trees - it has become a symbol of hope. The Wall is supporting sustainable land practices and improving food and water security, leading to improved health. It also holds economic benefits. It has boosted many small businesses, in turn, providing jobs for the local population. Previously, the Sahel has had a huge emigration problem, but now people walk along the Wall for jobs, and choose to stay. Even further, a great deal of attention has been given to training those who work the land. Skilled work includes taking care of traditional plants, planting fruit trees, growing during the winter months and bringing back richness to the soil.

In addition, there are paid opportunities for women, especially on the various plantations. In the traditional Muslim north, women rarely leave the family courtyard, but the Great Green Wall gives them the opportunity for further involvement in their communities and in many cases, to have financial independence through making soap or selling fruit. In this way, the project plays a huge social role in supporting gender equity and fighting poverty. With 232 million people dependent on this land for their livelihoods, the significance of the Wall cannot be overstated.

The Wall has also been effective in promoting peace and cooperation across the continent. The BBC reports that Mali’s improvements in economic opportunity may help curb terrorism in the country, where historically, famine and poverty have exacerbated a spike in political and religious extremism. Elsewhere, the GGW could curb growing insecurity caused by the Boko Haram terrorist group, particularly among young people and vulnerable communities.

Elsewhere in the world, there have been similar movements. Most notably, China, where the Three-North Shelterbelt Program has been in action since 1978. This is a national ecological engineering effort which aims to plant trees along the 2,800-mile border of the encroaching Gobi desert. The project has an end date of 2050; more than 66 billion trees have been planted so far. The Sahel’s GGW is not unique, but part of a growing entrepreneurial movement against climate change.

However, despite its benefits, progress on the Great Green Wall in Africa in the last decade has appeared slow. Whilst the project's official website claims it has achieved 15% of its objectives, other sources say the Wall is only 4% complete ahead of its planned 2030 end date. Part of this is due to conflict, with 50 percent of the land area involved currently inaccessible for security reasons. Continued emigration and desertification also affect the rate of progress, along with vandalism caused by both animals and people. Another issue has been bureaucratic, as the project has poor organisational structures and coordination at both regional and national levels.

So, what next for the GGW project? In order to help the Wall out of its rut, the initiative is being supported by different governmental groups around the world. At the One Planet Summit in Paris in January 2021, donors pledged to raise €11.8 billion over the next five years for the project. Moreover, at the recent COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, US billionaire Jeff Bezos said his foundation would stump up $1 billion to help fight land degradation in Africa. However, donations such as these raise questions of soft neo-colonialism, with the 11 African nations of the PAGGW dependent on funds from the Occident to fulfil their project. This is often compared to concerns over China's intervention in other parts of the continent.

Regardless, the Great Green Wall is sowing the seeds of progress. With so many cultural, social, political, and economic benefits, this green mosaic acts as a prime example of the land restoration initiatives all governments across the world should be pursuing.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.