1. SAHEL

3. Characterised by 10 months without rain but the real challenge is the unpredictability of exactly when the rains will come and more particularly how much rain will fall

4. And because of climate change the situation has deteriorated over the past four decades with rainfall totals below the average for the period

5. Dry parched lands with a very low carrying capacity – very little will grow

6. Overgrazing does not help. Massive herds gather wherever there is a little water but the cattle nibble the grass down to the roots so that it dies back and the dry soil is then open to the elements, and soil erosion further damages the land

7. Here there’s evidence of massive soil erosion. Though the rains come infrequently and irregularly when they do arrive they bring torrential storms that wash away the top soil, rendering the land useless for cultivation

8. Typical scene in the long dry season

9. It wont be long before this watering hole completely dries up