Who are we ? Jérôme MARIE Professor of Tropical Geography, Doctorate in Geography, (French equivalent of Ph D.), University of Rouen (1985). “Habilitation à diriger des recherches” (French state qualification for supervision of doctoral research), University of Paris X Nanterre, (2000). 1972-1975 : Teacher of of History and Geography in high school. 1975-1977 : Assistant in Geography - University of Niamey - Niger. 1977-1980: Teacher of History and Geography in high school. 1981-1983 : Socio-economic geographer at the International Livestock Center in Africa/Centre International Pour l’Elevage en Afrique (I.L.C.A./C.I.P.E.A) in Bamako and Addis Ababa, 13th Research Center of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (C.G.I.A.R.). Member of the study team of ILCA and the Livestock Development Operations in the Mopti Region (ODEM) on Livestock Development in the Inner Niger Delta. Specific responsibility: Coordination of pastoral, social, and land tenure studies, mapping land tenure in the Delta, edition of the study. 1984-1989: Teacher of History and Geography in high school. 1989-2001: Lecturer in Geography - University of PARIS 13,Villetaneuse. 1995-1998 : Elected Member of the Scientific Council (dedicated to the assessment of Research) of the University of Paris 13. 1995- 1999: 2 nd Vice-President of the National Council of Universities (C.N.U.) - 23 rd section. 1997-1999: On leave for full-time research at the National Center for Scientific Research (C.N.R.S), at the GEOSYSTEMS laboratory (Mixed Research Unit 6554) -European Maritime University Institute - University of Western Brittany- IUEM / UBO - 29 280 PLOUZANE , directed by François CUQ. 2001-2008 : Professor of Geography - University of PARIS X - Nanterre. Head of the DEA programme) (equivalent to an M.Phil )"Geography and Development Practice" (Paris X, Paris I - INA-PG) (2001-2005) and the Master ‘s programme "Globalization et comparative rural dynamics" (Paris X-INA- PG) (2005-2008). Since 2008: retired. Pierre Henri Yves HIERNAUX Agricultural engineer (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie de Montpellier, 1970) and PhD in ecology (University of Science and Techniques of Languedoc, Montpellier 1975) 1972-1980: Civil service at the Institute of Ecology of the University of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) then C.N.R.S. research assistant of at the Phyto-Ecological Studies Center Louis-Emberger, C.E.P.E., Montpellier. 1980-1994: Researcher at C.I.P.E.A./I.L.C.A. based at the Institute of Rural Economy, (I.E.R.), Niono and Bamako, Mali 1994-2002: Researcher at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya) based in the Sahelian Center of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Niamey, Niger 2004-2002: Visiting Professor at the Institute for Animal Nutrition in the Tropics and Subtropics (Tropenzentrum) of the University of Hohenheim (Germany) 2004-2009: Researcher at the Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse) at CESBIO, Center for Space Studies of the Biosphere (C.E.S.B.I.O) 2009-2014: Researcher for the C.N.R.S. at the «Géoscience Environnement Toulouse» (G.E.T.) laboratory in Toulouse 2014-2017: Retired, self-entrepreneur consultant ("Pastoc", 30 chemin de Jouanal 82160, Caylus, France), member of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification (C.S.F.D.).