In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, food production has fallen by 23% over the last 25 years, and one in three people are chronically undernourished. Yet sustainable solutions are making a difference to people across the region.
for an activity that looks at different sustainable ways to improve food security and reduce the risk of land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. You will need FLASH to complete this activity.

Living on the Edge
Many people lead a precarious existence south of the Sahara. With local knowledge, they have learned to make the most of the resources available and to be flexible as conditions change. But for three years in a row, the rains have failed and by 2000 the threat of famine was looming again.

Annual rainfall is always unpredictable in this dryland environment. Population pressure has added to the problem of prolonged drought. On the highland plateau of Ethiopia, the population has nearly doubled since 1984, the year of the worst famine of the region. With few ways to earn a living other than farming, pressure on the land is immense. Farm sizes are shrinking, and the soil is over-used.

�Dominic Harcourt-Webster/FARM Africa.

John Barnes, ex-Liverpool and England footballer joined Save The Children in a trip to Wollo province, Ethiopia in February 2001 to discover how Save The Children is helping to improve the lives of people there.
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The future looks bleak too. Climate change may make droughts more common and more extreme in the region, and if the number of HIV/AIDS victims continues to rise, there will be less people who can grow food.

FARM Africa is a charity that works to reduce poverty and help poor African farmers to make sustainable improvements to the way they use the land. To find out more about FARM Africa, and how you can support their work, visit www.farmafrica.org.uk

A new type of Goat
In the rural district of Meru in Central Province, Kenya, FARM Africa has been working with local people to improve their food security with goats. Goats are cheaper and much easier to care for than cattle. Goats are also part of the culture and background experience of the Meru people. Local goats didn't produce much milk, but after they were cross-bred with a breed of British goat, each animal could produce 3 litres a day, four times more than before.

�Dominic Harcourt-Webster/FARM Africa.

Since the start of the project, 6,000 cross-bred goats have been born.In addition, farmers can sell their surplus milk and goat products to buy other foodstuffs, and to pay for their children's schooling or their medical bills. The plentiful supply of goat manure has helped to fertilise vegetable and fruit gardens too.

The immediate benefit is that the community's diet and health improves. Goat milk helps the children to grow strong.

�Dominic Harcourt-Webster/FARM Africa

Goats as Scapegoats

To keep the goats healthy, FARM Africa have trained men and women farmers to carry out basic vet work themselves. For the more serious cases, FARM Africa has paid for two vets, who use motorbikes to visit farmers in outlying parts of Meru. In return, farmers can alert the vets to any health problems that are affecting their animals, including outbreaks of foot and mouth disease.

A Switch to Camels
Further north where the environment is even more dry and harsh, FARM Africa has been supporting the Samburu people of Kurungu village. The Samburu traditionally reared cattle but the prolonged drought has repeatedly wiped out their livestock.

�Dominic Harcourt-Webster/FARM Africa

The introduction of camels suited the natural conditions and needs of the Samburu people.

�Pieternella Pieters/FARM Africa Like the goats in Meru, the camels open up new opportunities for trade. Also, camels are more resilient in times of drought and their milk is an important source of vitamin A, which is hard to find in other local foods. Every two weeks, the children of Murungu village are taught how to look after the camels. They are given lessons in milking, recognising common diseases and checking for ticks and worms. This way, it is hoped that they will become an established part of Samburu life as the children grow up.