We need more of this kind of questioning. Incredible that the GGW website should lead with a video declaring "My home is embattled by desertification and drought [...] Restoring the land is a matter of survival..." while its status report (as you say, undated, grr) cites a study showing that the Sahara is retreating and the Sahel is, if anything, getting greener. And $1.6 billion appear to be unaccounted for.
Thank you Pablo for bringing this to our attention.
Good catch. I wasn’t even thinking but indeed, the GGW website contradicts itself in that respect, and the report essentially implies that the project should be abandoned. actually quite funny to realize that.
Thank you for this Pablo. Sometimes I think everything the world knows is the product of Public Relations people. A little tidbit from my experiences, 50 years ago. There were no dumps of plastic bags and bottles.as in the photo. Bottles were always valuable and rare - treasured even. Baobob trees were said to be markers of old village sites, that the trees grew because they were protected in individual compounds. The villages may have moved on, but the trees stayed.
I was also told that plastic dumps are a new phenomenon, and twenty years ago they were none. I have also seem grand baobabs in village centers, overshadowing the square. So impressive and symbolic. Thanks Daniel
Respect for such an in depth piece Pablo. I’m not really knowledgeable enough to offer an opinion on The Great Green Wall, although I did work with an NGO involved in it while on a photographic project in Senegal last year. I saw many regenerative agricultural practices during my visit. I was struck by the community gardens and the spirit of resilience of those involved. As far as I have seen it’s an umbrella of hope where all these positive regenerative projects can sit under - rather than one entity.
Correct! I traveled less and cannot compare to the past. I was also very impressed by the gardens, mainly in Gambia. They are the only organized, well functioning common space areas. Mostly run by women as I saw. Whether they are linked to the Wall, or any other international support this I do not know. I was guest in two of those gardens and it seemed the local initiative if the village
We need more of this kind of questioning. Incredible that the GGW website should lead with a video declaring "My home is embattled by desertification and drought [...] Restoring the land is a matter of survival..." while its status report (as you say, undated, grr) cites a study showing that the Sahara is retreating and the Sahel is, if anything, getting greener. And $1.6 billion appear to be unaccounted for.
Thank you Pablo for bringing this to our attention.
Good catch. I wasn’t even thinking but indeed, the GGW website contradicts itself in that respect, and the report essentially implies that the project should be abandoned. actually quite funny to realize that.
Thank you for this Pablo. Sometimes I think everything the world knows is the product of Public Relations people. A little tidbit from my experiences, 50 years ago. There were no dumps of plastic bags and bottles.as in the photo. Bottles were always valuable and rare - treasured even. Baobob trees were said to be markers of old village sites, that the trees grew because they were protected in individual compounds. The villages may have moved on, but the trees stayed.
I was also told that plastic dumps are a new phenomenon, and twenty years ago they were none. I have also seem grand baobabs in village centers, overshadowing the square. So impressive and symbolic. Thanks Daniel
This is quite an incredible insight on the Great Green Wall. Took me a couple of days to read it. Thank you Pablo.
Much appreciated!!
Respect for such an in depth piece Pablo. I’m not really knowledgeable enough to offer an opinion on The Great Green Wall, although I did work with an NGO involved in it while on a photographic project in Senegal last year. I saw many regenerative agricultural practices during my visit. I was struck by the community gardens and the spirit of resilience of those involved. As far as I have seen it’s an umbrella of hope where all these positive regenerative projects can sit under - rather than one entity.
Correct! I traveled less and cannot compare to the past. I was also very impressed by the gardens, mainly in Gambia. They are the only organized, well functioning common space areas. Mostly run by women as I saw. Whether they are linked to the Wall, or any other international support this I do not know. I was guest in two of those gardens and it seemed the local initiative if the village
I appreciate how much work this took. Well done.
Thanks for the article
Such a solid material!
Thank you Audrius, your words much appreciated. It took far more work than my usual travel stories.