Mohamed Salih

A Sudanese environmentalist who led innovative desertification control projects in the 1990s.

Mohamed Salih (1952–2018) was a Sudanese ecologist whose work in the 1990s revolutionized approaches to combating desertification in the Sahel region. Witnessing the devastating impact of soil erosion on his homeland, he developed the "Zai" farming technique—a method of planting crops in nutrient-rich holes to retain water and combat drought. This low-cost solution, detailed in his 1997 research paper Reviving the Desert (Amazon Link), increased crop yields by 300% in test regions. Salih’s work was later adopted by the UN’s UNCCD as a global best practice.

He founded the Sudan Eco-Initiatives Network in 1994, training over 5,000 farmers in sustainable land management. His 1999 documentary Seeds of the Sahara (IMDb Link) highlighted the connection between environmental degradation and political instability. Despite civil war disruptions, he expanded operations to Chad and Niger, establishing tree nurseries that produced 10 million saplings annually. Salih’s legacy includes the Green Belt Foundation, which continues his work in climate-resilient agriculture.