Climate resilience in the Sahel: cash-for-work projects restore land and incomes
Cash-for-work programmes across the Sahel are restoring degraded land while putting incomes into the hands of drought-affected communities.
Across the Sahel, cash-for-work projects are tackling two problems at once: restoring degraded land and putting predictable income into the hands of drought-affected communities.
How it works
Participants are paid to build soil and water conservation structures — stone lines, half-moons and tree planting — that slow runoff and improve water retention. Early results show marked gains in vegetation cover and soil moisture.
Results so far
- 18,000 hectares under restoration in the current programme cycle
- 52,000 people employed through cash-for-work activities
- 30–40% improvement in reported household food consumption among participants
Why resilience programming matters
Drought cycles are intensifying. Agencies argue that investing in resilience before the next shock is dramatically cheaper than responding to it after — an argument that is gaining traction with donors reviewing multi-year financing.
“You can’t wait for the crisis to invest in the solution. Resilience is the most effective humanitarian programme we have.”
The projects are part of a broader regional strategy linking early warning, social protection and restoration work, and are funded through the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and multi-donor trust funds.