In Niger, villages, fields and forests are swallowed one after the other by the desert. What can men do against this implacable foe? Replanting, install barriers, build dams, rebuilding villages ... The fight against desertification is heroic, but endless. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

At ICRISAT, a research institute on seeds, in Niamey, Niger's capital, sought to increase the productivity of staple crops in semi-arid environment, such as millet, sorghum, chickpea and peanut. There is in particular of 5,000 varieties of millet here. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

In the village of Dan Saga (southern Niger), soil, once depleted by slash and burn agriculture, have 25 years to regain the vigor. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

Sahelian breeders now have to travel miles in the sand to graze their herds. This man, for example, walking each day over an hour to bring his goats to the village, near the border between Niger and Nigeria. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

On the dunes as a barrier against the wind, the branches were asked checkerboard. In the center of each tile, an acacia tree was planted to secure the land. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

In the Tahoua region, these walls channel the rainwater and discharge into the river below. Land, kept moist, so fertility remains. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

In the village of Yerimane in south-eastern Niger, 11 boxes are already buried and 26 others are in danger of speedy disappearance. However, villagers have not yet decided to go elsewhere. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre

By mechanizing the ancient technique of "zai", which allows to fix and feed the soil, the villagers get a good harvest of sorghum. Photograph by Michael Stührenberg and Pascal Maitre