The statement is in a study led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, on the impact of the Great Green Wall project, quoted by an international news agency.

Cost-benefit analysis published in Natural Sustainability shows return on average of 20% for every dollar invested in a soil restoration project despite adverse weather conditions.

 The coordinator of FAO's Forestry Division, Moctar Sacande, says that it is necessary to change the rhetoric about the region. For him, it is necessary to show that despite a dry and arid soil, it is possible to restore the soil and obtain profits.

 The study used satellite and on-the-ground data to map environmental degradation between 2001 and 2018. It then compared the costs and benefits of soil restoration based on different scenarios tailored to local contexts.

 Reforestation and restoration in this belt, which spans 8,000 square kilometers, is driving communities to plant resilient trees and species like Acacia Senegal that generates Arabian rubber used in beverages. And other species that help with fertilizer for growing a type of corn and animal fodder.

 With FAO support, more than 500 communities are improving income opportunities and food security. A total of $20 billion has been pledged as support including $14.3 billion at the Summit for Biodiversity, One Planet.

Source UN News