The new ambitions of the Sahel. Population and sustainable development policies

Sustainable development is a balance between population and natural resources. New missions of Sahelian governments are connected around promotion of research activities information and training centered on the association of demographic policies to socioeconomic policies and management of natural resource policies. Only Burkina Faso Mali Niger Senegal and Chad have a reference document on achieving sustainable development. Demographic dynamics (population growth migration population distribution and urbanization) and commercialization of agriculture resulting in reduced soil quality pose a real threat to the Sahels natural resources. National population policies are also concerned with desertification control and management of natural resources. Action areas by country declarations fall into the following categories: agriculture and environment; migration urbanization and territorial management; and data collection population research and population training. Population policies aim to achieve better coverage of food nutritional and energy needs of the population; to create optimal population distribution conditions; to develop ecologically and socially acceptable agricultural production systems; to improve knowledge on the relationship of demographic and environmental variables with development factors at the national regional and local levels; and to integrate the various population groups in the planning and decision making of pertinent sectors. The Center for Studies and Research on Population has developed a model of the impact of population growth on the agricultural sectors and on the environment (population-agriculture-environment model [PAGE]). It also has a regional research population-ecology-development project.