The Green Wall for the Sahara

For my Environmental History of Africa class, we discussed a proposition being brought up by the African Union regarding a sort of "Green Wall" to prevent the spread of the Sahara desert.

So how does one do this?

Well, the proposed plan is to plant basically tons and tons of trees to create, for a lack of better words, a "buffer" of vegetation to further prevent indicators of a coming desert (ie: soil erosion, loss of rain water). However, the ideas proposed

This approach is also coming from a "top-down" proposal. Seeing as it starts with the higher-ups in the AU (African Union), it seems that they are making too much predictions, assumptions, and a type of go-get-em type of attitude without even looking at the people living in these areas. While preventing a desert sounds logical, the people living on the fringes of this area have already adapted to a way of life in this climate zone.

The problems can even become more problematic: the term "desertification" is tossed around countless times without regard to the original research conducted on the spread of the Sahara. Rich, white Europeans originally conducted the research in the early 1900's in order to survey their colonial holdings. Basically, any early research done on the African environment (based on the countless reading for the class) has shown many generalizations. Those early white visitors LOVE to portray the people and the environment of Africa as a barren wasteland full of de-evolved brutes. It sickens me.

I am happy that they are trying something in order to offset the spread of the Sahara, because it is spreading. I just hope they don't mess this up. The world criticizes this continent too much.