Savannah: The Sahara Desert is growing! The world's biggest non-polar desert has been expanding by about 11,000 square kilometers per year for more than 70 years, and will probably continue to do so into the 2050s.

This is related to the fact that the Sahel rainfall belt, located just south of the desert, is drying out. That drying trend is likely driven by warming temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns that began in the 1950s and got worse when severe drought struck in the 1980s.

And the expansion is causing some major negative influences on African agriculture. But, and initiative called the "Great Green Wall" is hoping to regreen the Sahel rainfall belt with traditional water-smart growing methods like crescent-shaped ditches that direct scarce rainfall toward seedlings.

If successful, the restored forests could help slow the Sahara's expansion, and provide food and water security for millions of people.

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