Mr. Sawadogo’s heresy revolved around transforming the practice of what local farmers called zaï — digging small pits to capture precious rainwater. These farmers typically waited until the start of the rainy season, at the beginning of summer, to dig the zaï.

But Mr. Sawadogo began well before, when the earth was bone-dry. And he dug the pits wider and deeper. He put manure and rocks in the bottom of them. He made use of termites to help break up the land. The manure contained seeds. When the rain came, the rocks helped retain the water, and the water turned the seeds into seedlings, which he nurtured. The soil would stay moist for several weeks after the rainfall.

“The results were striking; the soil improved along with his crop yield,” the U.N. said in announcing his award. “He was able to grow trees in the arid ground.

Man optimized the tradition to better serve everyone’s needs. It may sound obvious for us, but fundamental changes like that require flexibility and courage many lack. No wonder he cited that no one talked to him and called him a madman for working on something equivalent to what Trek’s or Warhammer’s warp tech could be to us.