More than one billion people worldwide, most of them among the poorest in the world, are affected by drought and desertification, the degradation of land in arid zones. Southern Alberta is one such zone. In the Sahel region of Africa, desertification has been the overwhelming concern of rural populations for more than thirty years. What are the ecological and social effects of “The Battle Against Desertification” in the Sahel? In particular, what are the effects of this struggle on the daily lives of Sahelian women, who are seen as both destroyers and preservers of the environment? And what can we learn about preventative measures which have ameliorated the desertification process? Guest Speaker: Ann Thomson, Executive Director, USC Canada Ann Thomson has worked with Canadian and local NGOs in Asia and Africa for more than 25 years. She became Executive Director of USC Canada in March 2000. Ann has just returned from Mali, where she visited farmers coping with ongoing drought and desertification.