A desert challenge: Appraisal of projects to combat desertification and drought in the West African Sahel

Desertification and drought have been internationally recognized as serious environmental problems with devastating social and economic impacts. Sub-Saharan African countries have proven particularly vulnerable. The United Nations has recently promoted a global convention--The UN International Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (1994). This constitutes a legally-binding agreement of member state signatories, dedicated to the cause of alleviating desertification and drought effects, particularly in African countries. As countries now mobilise to coordinate efforts against desertification, methodologies need to be developed for selecting, monitoring and evaluating these efforts.

This thesis proposes a framework for the analysis of projects aimed at preventing desertification and alleviating the effects of drought in the West Sahel region in Africa. Drawing together key economic, social and ecological indicators, the framework is designed to serve as a simple yet flexible tool for project appraisal, available to field staff and governing authorities in the region. First developed under the auspices of UNSO (the United Nations Office to Combat Desertification and Drought) during a professional internship in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in 1996-97, the framework is accompanied, in this thesis, by a discussion of key issues involved in its development. These include the causes and consequences of the desertification cycle, the integration of women in desertification efforts for effective development, the interrelationships between health, the economic environment and development, and the challenge of valuing the more significant of non-market costs and benefits arising from project activities.