The Sahel is a region where the population has always faced a high degree of climate variability, manifested both in terms of time (unexpected dry spells can occur during the rainy season) and in terms of space (rainfall can vary greatly from one area to another). Soil and Water Conservation- and Soil Protection and Restoration-Techniques have helped people in the Sahel to manage their ecosystems more effectively and improve their productive land.

The purpose of this study is to present good practices in SWC and SPR from the point of view of their contribution to reducing the vulnerability of the region's population and improving the resilience of its agro-silvo-pastoral systems. The measures described in this study are some of the ones developed, implemented and disseminated as part of projects and programmes undertaken from the 1980s onwards to combat desertification and improve natural resource management. All the techniques developed to control erosion, reclaim and restore degraded land and improve water harvesting have been successfully implemented on a large scale in the field.