Reportage: Memento Mauri

In the 1961, the year of independence, 80% of Mauritanians were nomadic pastoralists. Mauritanian society and the country's wealth were profoundly linked to the production of meat, milk and the reproduction of herds. Today, few than 10% of the population still practice a nomadic way of life. In a few short decades, Mauritanians have become sedentary and practice agriculture. This rapid settling of the population in conjunction with the effects of climate change in recent years has made agriculture unsustainable for much of the population. As a result, there has been an exodus of men from rural communities to urban areas and abroad in search of work, creating widespread food insecurity and a dependence on imported cereals whose prices have been rapidly rising on international markets. Women, children and the elderly have thus been left in the villages of Mauritania's breadbasket provinces to work the land and produce food for the nation.