The only way this would of worked is if the game could simulate sand dynamics, and it doesn't. So it would be like riding on top of the Rocky Mountains of Western Canada instead of the sand desert around Dakar.
It's too bad though, since desert farming would be interesting to do with the important combination of both tree species and legumes needed for nitrogen fixation in the 'soil', and the farming of species capable of growing if not thrive in that climate.