Myths about African drylands are not all based on facts
"Some of the doom and gloom stories about Africa’s drylands are not based on facts, but on fiction,” writes Reif. When he told a leader of a women’s group in Niger that experts were saying the Sahel was continuing to degrade, what was her reaction? “These experts have never visited us.”
Chris Reij, “More Success Stories in Africa’s Drylands than Often Assumed,” Forum sur la Sourverainete Alimentaire, Niamey, ROPPA, Ouagadougou, Niger, 7-10 November, 2006, ii. http://www.roppa.info/IMG/pdf/More_success_stories_in_Africa_Reij_Chris.pdf