Pastoralists in Afar live in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Grazing areas are scarce and vegetation sparse. In recent years this precious grazing land has been invaded by an aggressive, thorny plant called Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora), known to locals as the devil tree.
The government originally introduced it to stabilise the soil but it has now spread into grazing areas, choking out water sources, forcing people from their villages and drastically reducing the grazing available to livestock.
Local people, with Farm Africa's help, have researched the best way to permanently clear the land. We work directly with communities to:
We are also sharing our knowledge and experience with local government and other NGOs, so that many more communities can adopt the new practices.
Our work has directly benefitted 3,860 people in the region who use the restored land for grazing and farming. They in turn are sharing what they have learned with 5,000 more people.
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