The pastoralists who live on the move in Senegal are learning to adapt as the effects of climate change become more intense.
Despite the fact that pastoralism has supported human populations for millennia, climate change is causing environments to deteriorate and rangelands to become smaller for cattle grazing.
This is a way of life followed by over 50 million people in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and other regions.
Pastoralists travel with their cattle in search of fresh pasture, adjusting to shifting conditions and allowing fallow land to recover and repopulate.
Yet, in Senegal, rising temperatures, diminishing vegetation and a lack of water are putting pastoralism at risk.
Some of the younger generations want a less strenuous life and are leaving the herding life behind.
Experts believe that pastoralist traditions can teach those who raise livestock on much larger scales.
Livestock farmers can reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture by leaving land fallow for extended periods of time.
Human activity, such as overgrazing and deforestation, is playing a significant role in the Sahel region’s desertification.
