Chad

Chad covers about 1.28 million km² and lies in north-central Africa. Its geography is dominated by arid and semi-arid landscapes, ranging from the Sahara Desert in the north to savanna regions in the south. One of its key natural features is Lake Chad, which has historically supported agriculture and pastoral livelihoods despite shrinking significantly in recent decades.

Before French colonisation in the early 20th century, local communities relied on subsistence farming and pastoralism. After independence in 1960, agriculture remained the backbone of the economy, especially in rural areas.
Today, the primary sector contributes roughly 40% of GDP and employs the majority of the population. Only about 4–5% of the land is suitable for cultivation due to harsh climatic conditions.  Crop farming is concentrated in the more fertile southern regions. Key crops include sorghum, millet and maize, which are staple foods. Cotton is the main cash crop and an important export. Livestock farming plays a major role across the country, particularly in the Sahelian zones. Cattle, goats, sheep and camels are raised through pastoral and nomadic systems.

Forests are very limited due to the country’s dry climate.

Fishing is practised around Lake Chad and along rivers, contributing to local food supply.

Overall, Chad’s primary sector reflects its challenging environment: subsistence farming in the south, extensive livestock herding across semi-arid regions and fishing around shrinking water resources. Despite the rise of oil production, agriculture and pastoralism remain central to livelihoods and food security.

In 2025, Gerold was 21 days in the Chad, travelled with an other German throughout the country, 4000 km, mainly off-road. The Nationalpart Zakouma and the border post to Libya have been visited, plus the Ennedi Massiv NP and the capital N'djamena. It was very hot (always above 409 degrees, the traditional nomadis was present in the whole area Gerold has visited. There were no wild game, apart from the NP Zalouma, even no insects like dung beetles, moscitos and flies. The landscape was unexpected marvellous and the climate and ecological conditions hard for humans, animals and material.