Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows:
The Great Green Wall initiative, launched in 2007 by the African Union, aims to combat desertification across the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert. In northern Nigeria, where fertile land loses up to 0.6 kilometers to sand dunes annually, the federal government established protective shelterbelts across eleven frontline states. These shelterbelts consist of dense rows of drought-resistant trees, primarily neem and acacia, planted perpendicular to prevailing desert winds. Beyond halting wind erosion, these tree barriers increase soil moisture by reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percent. Local farming communities manage these belts, harvesting gum arabic from acacia trees while cultivating drought-tolerant crops like sorghum and millet in the shielded microclimates.
According to the passage, how do the protective shelterbelts increase soil moisture in northern Nigeria?
- By reducing evapotranspiration rates by up to thirty percentCevap
- BBy completely eliminating sand dune encroachment across the Sahel
- CBy enabling local farming communities to harvest gum arabic
- DBy altering the direction of prevailing desert winds