A crucial socio-ecological transition zone between dry pastoral and semi-arid agropastoral systems, the Farming-Pastoral Ecotone (FPE) in the African Sahel is examined in the current study’s spatiotemporal dynamics from 1981 to 2020. The FPE has generally migrated northward under changing climatic circumstances, with notable regional variations, especially in the western Sahel. Localized landscape changes are shown by movements in the centroid and variations in the distribution of grasslands and crops. Landscape research shows that, particularly in the earlier decades, agricultural and forest expansion have come at the expense of shrubland and grassland. Assessments of buffer zones reveal ecological difference, with vegetation regeneration in the north and increased land conversion in the south. The fundamental force behind change is still precipitation, but socioeconomic elements like GDP, infrastructure, and population have grown in importance. The increasing interaction between human and natural drivers is highlighted by interaction analysis.