Is the Sahara extending into the Sahel?

Question

A topic on desertification in Africa. need info on how much the sahara has grown such that its nearo r hit the sahel. The other way round also works

Answer 1

the sahel id the strip between the sahara and the jungle. its where most of the farming goes on and there are a lot of people there.

2  factors (variables) to desertification; changes in rainfall and human activity.

the farmers in a few places in sub-saharan africa are reclaiming scrubby desert edges by planting bushes/trees, but in most places they make it worse.

e.g. poor farmers on a small plot, especially in a bad year, might have to cut more trees down than can regrow for fuel, and let their animals graze more than is sustainable. when you are starving, what happens next year is low down on the list of priorities.

here, an example of how bad it can get:

nigeria

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080327/ts...