With Senegal's life-sustaining grasslands in a dire state, Thignol village chief Ibrahima Ka has spearheaded an unconventional movement to restore them to a more vibrant state.
As detailed by the Guardian, Ka has introduced "mob grazing" in an attempt to regenerate its grasslands. Overgrazing and changes in climate have degraded around one-third of Senegal's pastures, according to Dr. Tamsir Mbaye, head of the Pastoralism and Dryland Centre. However, Ka's experiment provides hope that this process can be reversed.
This is essential because without thriving grasslands, his community's cows will continue to lose weight, reducing milk production and making it more difficult to sell them as meat.
"The richness of our community is based on our animals — if they suffer, so do we," Ka told the Guardian.
Elsewhere, restoration projects have yielded exciting results. In the U.S., salmon have returned to their historic breeding grounds after dam removals along the Klamath River. In England, dozens of species are bouncing back after efforts to restore heathland. Community-led initiatives are also inspiring people around the world to take action at a local level.
Ka's endeavour is in the early stages, but early returns suggest it could be a success. To achieve a "mob grazing" effect that mimics the natural movement of wildebeest across Tanzania's Serengeti, Ka teamed up with 10 other neighborhood families, per the Guardian.
Together, they move their community herd of roughly 350 cows and 2,000 sheep across a 314-acre plot for concentrated grazing. The idea is that they will only eat what is available to them while tearing up dry soil to boost water absorption and support the growth of new species.
Like any creature, freely roaming livestock have favorite items to munch on. However, without proper herd management, the animals will wipe out tender species and immature trees.
"Look around, there's only old trees here," said Joaquín Cadario, an agronomist at Action Against Hunger, a nongovernment organization backing the initiative, per the Guardian. "If you had a village with just old people, it will die out at some point. It's the same with trees."
While researchers, including the University of Oxford's Dr. Cecilia Dahlsjö, emphasized to the publication that myriad factors influence whether mob grazing is ultimately a success, a recent study found that Ka's mob-grazed pilot plot is soaking up about 60% more water.
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Definitely 👍 The project has attracted the attention of herders from elsewhere in Senegal and from neighboring Mauritania, with delegations visiting Ka's test plot to see the results for themselves.
Yet the concept remains controversial, in part because the margin between regenerating and damaging grasslands is razor-thin. With mob grazing, livestock shouldn't return to a plot for at least one year to allow time for regeneration. However, another plot merely 19 miles away from Ka's failed when the community didn't rally around the project, and herders ignored the rules.
"Mob grazing can be beneficial for biodiversity, soil water absorption and structure, but if you go too far, it can be detrimental, and the soil can become too trampled and compacted," Dr. Dahlsjö explained.
Ultimately, community buy-in is crucial to unlocking mob-grazing benefits.
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