younger generations to provide for the family through food provision and income. Therefore, there is an economic need to have as many children as possible to give the best chance of security in old age. The traditional customs and status of women also increase birth rates. In many countries in the Sahel, such as Nigeria, very few girls stay in school for more than a few years. Many girls are married and begin having children while in their teens. The male is seen as the ‘head’ of the family, with the woman’s role being to have as many children as possible. As a result, many countries in the Sahel have a total fertility of over 5.0 per woman.


Population growth has been further accelerated by the increasing numbers of refugees entering the Sahel region to escape war and famine (especially from the Horn of Africa). For example, over 1 million people have fled from Ethiopia to Sudan in order to escape prejudice, war and famine. This increased influx of people puts extra strain on the already limited resources of the region.


Falling death rates have also contributed to population growth. There have been improvements in preventative medicines, e.g. vaccines for ‘childhood’ diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. These measures, along with increased knowledge of childcare hygiene practices (e.g. boiling water to sterilise feeding utensils), have helped to lower child mortality rates.


If current population growth continues, it is predicted that the population of the Sahel will increase by an additional 15 million people by 2030.


Cause 3: Overuse and Depletion of


Natural Resources The main natural resources available in the Sahel are water, soil and natural vegetation. With the population continually growing, these resources are being overused and depleted beyond the region’s carrying capacity, i.e. it is overpopulated.


Overgrazing


Poor agricultural practices cause soil degradation. This is particularly true in the Sahel region which is already an environmentally sensitive region. The increased rainfall experienced in the Sahel region between the 1930s and 1970s attracted nomadic farmers, as there was a more plentiful supply of grassland. In the


) Fig. 2.12 Overgrazing in the Sahel OVERPOPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT 45


: Fig. 2.11 Millions of people from Ethiopia and Sudan have migrated to the Sahel region to escape war and famine.


GEO DICTIONARY


Horn of Africa: the easternmost part of Africa


Prejudice: harm or injury caused by bias or different beliefs of others


Preventative medicine: medicine used to prevent someone from contracting an illness or disease, e.g. vaccines


Whooping cough: a contagious bacterial disease named after the whooping noise caused by the cough


A


Z


Elective 5: Human CHAPTER 2


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