Chapter 4: Improving Livelihoods on Fragile Lands --> Living on the edge=the
arid plains --> Combating desertification and a way forward for the drylands
The environmental problems of the coming century will almost certainly arise
from the worsening of current problems that are not receiving adequate
attention. Some scientists rank desertification and deforestation third among
environmental issues requiring attention, after climate change and water
resources.18
Many emphasize that the links between climate change and other environmental
problems (water, ecosystems) are likely to be important. And as demonstrated
repeatedly, sector policies taken in isolation may solve one problem while
aggravating others, particularly over a long period. We may know more about
these links now, but we still do not understand exactly how these issues
interact or what the most effective measures are likely to be.19
More applied research and organized dissemination of lessons and techniques are
needed.
With the 1992 Rio process and under the auspices of the United Nations, the
Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) was negotiated and entered into
force in 1996.20
With 178 signatories and 115 countries directly affected by desertification,
the convention reflects a global commitment to combat the problem. It is one of
the few conventions that incorporate socially and environmentally sustainable
development objectives. Recognizing the disconnect between the wealth of local
experience in dryland management and the cutting-edge science that connects
global environmental changes to societies, the convention established
institutional arrangements that link national goals and global interest in land
and water management.
The convention also recognizes the need to share the risk and management of
solutions over a much larger group of countries (the U.S. Southern Plains
example illustrates the limited options available to a small jurisdiction in
the absence of wider burden- and risk-sharing). It promotes partnering of
national and international groups and linking indigenous communities with the
scientific community to develop solutions to desertification by integrating
partners, financial resources, and land degradation concerns into ongoing
programs.
Agricultural research in China and India shows diminishing returns to
investments in many high potential areas, but investments in drylands can
produce large returns in reducing poverty, even if yields are modest.21
Governments, researchers, and donor organizations are beginning to pay some
attention to R&D on crop breeding varieties for people on marginal lands,
but much more needs to be done by the public sector to replace antiquated crop
varieties (see notes 7 and 8). In partnership with South African institutions,
the CGIAR's International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center has developed two
maize varieties for small farmers in South Africa's drought-prone, acidic,
nutrient-depleted soils. Both varieties are drought-resistant, and one matures
early, when farm food supplies are at their lowest. Trials from Ethiopia to
South Africa have shown yields that are 34 to 50 percent higher than currently
grown varieties.22
There are opportunities to achieve sustainable livelihoods in quite a few
areas. But developers must recognize that the drylands are not homogeneous and
cannot be made to function sustainably as non-drylands. Since large numbers of
people are likely to remain in the dry grasslands for at least a few more
generations, a range of strategies is needed to identify the attributes of the
land that can be harnessed to provide inhabitants with a livelihood:23
New technologies for drought-resistant crops n Better water harvesting n Some
intensification, including the use of fertilizers n Advice on better farming
and grazing practices
Innovative insurance schemes (such as those established in Mongolia, Kenya, and
Ethiopia)
Community-based early warning systems (such as those in Kenya)
Local knowledge and new initiatives.
Some arid areas can take advantage of solar energy potential; others may have
scenic value worthy of ecotourism development. The Mozambique Transfrontier
Conservation Area Program and Burkina Faso's wildlife reserve development are
two attempts in the direction of ecotourism that combine local and
international cooperation. Research and innovations for appropriate service
delivery-combined with policies that link human activities (farming, herding,
and settlements) with natural processes (vegetation distribution, seasonal
growing cycles, and watersheds)-help sustain vulnerable ecosystems while
enhancing productivity to support growing populations.
