Building resilience in the Sahel: Interactions between drought, degraded land, and household nutrition

Recurrent droughts, declining soil fertility, and environmental degradation continue to threaten food and nutrition security across the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad. This study examines the linkage between drought events, land degradation, and household nutrition outcomes using a multi-level event–study framework. The analysis combines Demographic and Health Surveys data on child stunting and wasting with CHIRPS and ERA5 rainfall anomalies to identify drought years, complemented by FEWS NET food security classifications. Results reveal that severe rainfall deficits correspond to significant increases in child stunting and wasting rates, especially among rural households reliant on rainfed agriculture. Regression simulations show that a one–standard–deviation decline in seasonal rainfall raises the probability of moderate food insecurity by 6–9 percent, while areas with higher land degradation experience stronger effects. The findings stress the urgency of integrating drought early–warning data, soil restoration programs, and nutrition interventions to strengthen household resilience. Policy implications emphasize scaling up adaptive land management and targeted safety nets in chronically drought-prone zones.