The Sahel is a semi-arid geoclimatic transition zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south, which stretches east-west across Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Our Sahel program is being implemented in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Food and nutritional insecurity are major concerns for many Sahelian communities. While its food security issues stem from the combined effects of several factors including poverty, poor governance, deficient agricultural development and environmental degradation, the Sahel is also one of the regions of the world most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Climate change exacerbates poverty, economic crises, conflicts over natural resources, political instability and gender inequities.
Armed conflict between militias and banditry also intensify poverty and nutritional insecurity by affecting livelihoods, causing displacement and impeding the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices.
In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada supports sustainable development initiatives and the provision of humanitarian aid during food crises. Implemented with local partners, the Food and nutritional security and climate change in the Sahel project (designated by the French acronym SANC2S) aims to improve the food security of more than 100,000 people, especially women and youths working in the agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors.
With financial support from Global Affairs Canada, the five-year project will:
Among farming communities, the project also aims to:
Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada and its local partners in the Sahel will continue promoting the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the context of climate change by supporting economically viable family farming based on sustainable, eco-friendly solutions.
In the summer of 2012, the Sahel region of West Africa faced a food crisis that put 18 million people at risk of hunger and food shortages. At the height of the crisis, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada travelled to Niger, one of the most affected countries, with a film crew from Salt and Light Television, to chronicle the impact on communities.
The result is A New Leaf, a 30-minute documentary that delves into the complex issues that led to the crisis and how our solidarity can make a difference.
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Charity number: 1 1882 9902 RR 0001
Our international cooperation program is carried out in part with the financial support of the Government of Canada acting through Global Affairs Canada.
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international solidarity organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.
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