The Green Revolution: Innovative Projects to Revitalize Deserts
One of the most ambitious projects is the Great Green Wall of Africa, an initiative that seeks to stop the advance of the Sahara Desert by restoring 100 million hectares of land by 2030. This 8,000-kilometer “living wall” not only aims to stop soil erosion, but also create 10 million jobs and generate economic opportunities for local communities.
Officially launched by the African Union in 2007, the Great Green Wall aims to create a swath of greenery stretching more than 8,000 kilometers from Dakar to Djibouti, traversing 11 African countries.
The purpose of this “living wall” is to contain the advance of the Sahara Desert, restore degraded lands and provide multiple benefits to local communities. These benefits include food security, job creation, and strengthening resilience to climate change.
The Great Green Wall not only focuses on planting trees, but also seeks to create added value for the people who live on these lands. This involves developing the local economy and sustaining the livelihoods of communities, as well as future generations.
The project's achievements to date are significant, including the planting of millions of drought-resistant trees, the reclamation of millions of hectares of land and the additional production of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of cereals annually in countries such as Senegal, Niger and Ethiopia. With a final horizon planned for the year 2030, the initiative hopes to restore 100 million hectares of land and create 10 million green jobs.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the “green circles” of the desert are a testament to human ingenuity. Using fossil water pumped from a kilometer deep, these artificial oases are allowing the cultivation of cereals and other foods in the middle of one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet.
In Africa's Sahel region, combining traditional knowledge with advanced technology is reversing land degradation and converting arid land into fertile soil. And in India, a community has managed to transform a desert into a forest, demonstrating that soil regeneration is possible even in the most challenging conditions.
Several companies and organizations are supporting desert and rural community revitalization projects. For example, FasterCapital is an organization that stands out for its focus on creating resilient and sustainable communities, addressing challenges such as population decline and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas. In addition, the IDB Cities Network has launched the LAC Cities Challenge, an initiative that promotes the participation of the private sector in urban regeneration and local economic development projects.
These public-private collaborations are crucial to the success of revitalization projects, as they combine financial resources, technical expertise and a shared vision for sustainable development and the fight against desertification.
