KAFFRINE, Senegal, Sept 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – In Senegal’s central Kaffrine region, stretches of the national highway cut through vast salt ponds. Yet the salt industry – which could help local people earn more and cope with worsening climate pressures – is little developed, experts say.

“At the artisanal level, you have men harvesting with no gloves, no boots,” said Cheikh Tidiane Sall of Innovations Environnement Développement (IED) Afrique, a group working on sustainable development. “Inadequate storage bags are used and the salt contaminates the soil.”

In most of the region’s roadside villages, men shovel salt from mounds into 25 kilo bags, piled up on the ground. Women stand in the road flagging down 18-wheeler trucks and other passing vehicles, selling the bags for $1.70 each.