Unpacking Decades of Multi-Scale Events and Environment-Based Development in the Senegalese Sahel: Lessons and Perspectives for the Future

A major challenge faced by human societies is to promote development that truly makes difference for people without jeopardizing their environment. This particularly urgent in developing countries where, despite decades of programs, local populations often live under poverty thresholds. With this study, we participate the ongoing debate about necessary global revision theory and practice rural Sahel. We retrace trajectories Ferlo, northern silvopastoral zone Senegal. highlight how has evolved from 1940s present, centralized action programs focused on hydraulic infrastructure current polycentric with growing environmental concerns. multi-scale events have influenced successive paradigms area. Focusing past thirty years, analyzed twenty-five environment natural resource management-oriented projects, describing evolution objectives actions over time identifying recurring flaws: redundancy, lack synergy, questionable relevance needs put forth a more resilient thinking-based paradigm guide number environment-oriented actions, including African Great Green Wall, which massive investments are throughout Ferlo across