We are working with the poorest people in Mali to sustain their livelihoods. Sand-dunes are appearing due to greatly increased wind & sandstorms. These are destroying fertile land so that people can no longer grow food. It costs £240 to plant an acre of dunes so that people can continue to farm.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
In Central Mali, greatly increased wind & sandstorms are causing sand dunes to appear. The dunes are destroying precious fertile valley land on which many people depend for growing crops. Sand from the dunes is also silting up streams & ponds that people need for fishing, for rice cultivation, for watering their vegetable gardens, and for providing water for their livestock. It is vital to control the dunes to prevent villages from having to be abandoned as they can no longer make a living.
Solution
We will work with local volunteers to stabilise the dunes and reclaim land that has been 'lost' to the sandstorms and to restore biodiversity. Last year we worked with 512 volunteers in eleven villages and planted on 193 acres of dunes. As many villages are threatened, it is vital that this work can continue. We will train and work with the volunteers to establish wind-breaks and to plant deep-rooting grasses, shrubs and trees to stabilise the dunes that are destroying important land.
