In the world there are people who remind us of the struggle between little David and the giant Goliath. One such person is Yacouba Sawadogo, a man who crossed the Sahara Desert and conquered it, thanks to his perseverance and faith in ancestral knowledge.
Yacouba Sawadogo did not need to go to college, or be attentive to the news, to realize that the climate was changing, lives in Burkina Faso, a country bordering the Sahara Desert, and has noticed that rains are getting scarcer. , also realized that this situation was gradually reducing crops.
- This man.
- Endowed with extraordinary common sense.
- Lives in the region known as the Sahel.
- This is the region between the Sahara and the Sudanese savannah; a region with unstable weather conditions that has repeatedly triggered dramatic famines.
- One of these stages was experienced between 1968 and 1974.
- And it was precisely in 1974 that Yacouba Sawadogo’s struggle began.
“I hope that the legitimacy of this award will help inspire and encourage many others to regenerate their lands for the benefit of nature, local communities and future generations. “Yacouba Sawadogo?
Yacouba rose to fame much later, in 2018, when he won the “Alternative Nobel”, an award in Stockholm who were highlighted in his struggle to improve humanity. The world was then aware of the silent and wonderful work that Yacouba Sawadogo had done. done by his people and by all of us.
We have all heard of the Sahara Desert, a place full of legends dating back thousands of years, what not everyone knows is that, both to the north and south of this area, the inhabitants have managed to create spaces and there they have established communities that live in constant struggle against the force of the desert.
In the twentieth century, with the increase in the population in Africa and the massive influx of foreign companies, mainly mining companies, the continent’s ecological cycles began to change, which first affected the countries of the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Yacouba’s birthplace. Sawadogo.
In the late 1960s, the desert began to gain ground in this country, the sands swallowed the fertile land and hunger began to become a widespread evil, most of those affected only thought of leaving the property because they felt that the fight was lost. It was then that Yacouba made a difference: he decided to stay and fight the Sahara.
When the soil becomes deserted, the solution is to make a specialized diagnosis, based on extensive research, and then apply the right method on a large scale, but in Burkina Faso there were no specialists, no high caliber studies, let alone. the millions of dollars that would have to be invested to achieve the goal.
Yacouba Sawadogo wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Thus, with Mathieu Ouédraogo, his friend and companion in struggle, he began to investigate for himself, they were lucid enough to look in the only place where they could find answers: the ancient traditions. In this region, cultures date back many years, so there was enough wisdom in their traditions to mitigate the damage caused by desertification.
In the end, the two dreamers applied two ancestral techniques to recover the soil, the first being given a name that could translate as “Stone Strings”. It consists of making rows of pebbles, so that when it rains the water will get ponded for a while. few minutes and so it can penetrate the ground and reduce its hardness.
The second technique used by Yacouba Sawadogo and his friend was “Zao Holes”. This technique involves digging holes next to the sown seed, to help retain more moisture. Yacouba has incorporated several innovations into traditional technology, such as making even bigger holes. .
He also thought it was a good idea to put organic matter in the hollows, introducing manure, organic matter, leaves, small logs and plant remains, unknowingly, but intuitive, this decision was fundamental to make your project a reality.
But Yacouba Sawadogo did not expect the introduction of organic matter into the holes to attract termites, however, contrary to what may seem, the termites began digging tunnels and, thanks to them, the result was even more successful. have done the engineering work that was missing. The result was that the soil softened, became wetter and the plants began to grow.
It took more than 40 years for the world to prove that Yacouba Sawadogo had won in its fierce fight against the desert and has so far managed to recover more than 3 million hectares, which were formerly arid lands and are now fertile lands.
Yacouba knew that partial success was not enough, so when he realized that his ancient techniques were working, he began teaching them to anyone who wanted to learn them. He spent all these years going back and forth on his motorcycle, passing on his teachings to various communities.
Today, with the Nobel Alternative on his resume, he leaves us many lessons. He taught us that we should not give up without fighting, however difficult it may seem, that preconceived solutions are not always the best and, above all, that common sense and self-confidence can take us far. Thanks for reminding us.