Land Degradation, Faith‐Based Organizations, and Sustainability in Senegal

Abstract

Over the past one hundred years, Senegal has experienced repeated droughts and shifting economic and agricultural policies that have contributed to long-term land degradation in a once-productive agricultural region. Faithbased organizations have become prominent in communitylevel projects that are working to rebuild Senegal's rural agriculture and work toward environmental sustainability. Through ethnographic interviews with religious leaders and project managers, this article highlights Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant organizations that are involved in environmental and economic development efforts across central Senegal. Local faith-based organizations are effective in this work because they are integral parts of communities, they share communities' faith-based motivations for development work, and they have long-term strategies for sustainability that involve individuals, communities, and their natural environment. [land degradation, environment, agriculture, sustainability, faith-based organizations, Senegal] Laura L. Cochrane is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Central Michigan University; her recent book is Weaving through Islam in Senegal. bs_bs_banner Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment Vol. 35, Issue 2 pp. 112-124, ISSN 2153-9553, eISSN 2153-9561.

The role of faith-based NGOs in social development: Invisible empowerment

“…They do not think of the people's economic advancement alone, but also focus on social, ethical, and spiritual issues. Cochrane (2013) found a study in Senegal where FBNGOs took several initiatives to combat the challenges resulting from droughts and changing economic and agriculture polices. The country had experienced a longterm land degradation and loss of productive agriculture and sustainable environmental knowledge.…”

“…A number of studies highlighted the process and outcomes of community capacity building of the FBNGOs. Ahmed (2009) and Cochrane (2013) indicated that FBNGOs are contributing to the development of community capacity through professional training. FBNGOs' program to motivate community members to adopt new techniques of environmental sustainability contributed to developing community ownership.…”

“This Is Where We Have Scored”: Exploring the Interface between Project and Institutional Sustainability Facilitated by a Faith-Based Development Organisation in Sierra Leone

“…Sierra Leone has a predominantly Muslim population (77% of the population), with Christians comprising 23% [35]. The state is officially secular but Islamic and Christian FBDOs operate freely in the country as, indeed, they do in much of West Africa [36]. This is even if Christian FBDOs sometimes face significant challenges when promoting 'holistic development' within a predominantly Muslim community [37].…”

Addressing drought through rural religious communities in Senegal

“…Ndem's water pump, which is on the national electrical grid, established in 1995, shorted in a series of nationwide blackouts that started in 2010. In 2011, Ndem received a grant from a European foundation to install solar panels for a constant energy supply (Cochrane 2013: 115–16). In 2018, they built a new water tower with larger capacity (150 square metres versus the previous 30 square metres).…”