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Annex I - Specific facets of sustainable dryland development
1. Water and land use improvement for sustainable agriculture
It is recognized that sustainability of food production increasingly depends on sound and efficient water use and conservation practices consisting primarily of sound irrigation development and water management in rainfed areas.
The International Action Programme on Water and Sustainable Agriculture (IAP-WASAS) which has been initiated in cooperation with other international organizations reflects the strategy in water and sustainable agriculture. The main objectives of this programme is to assist the Member Nations in planning, developing and managing water resources in an integrated manner to meet their present and future needs for agricultural development on a sustainable basis in a flexible approach compatible with the policies and needs of national governments. This action programme framework focuses on five priority areas as follows: water use efficiency waterlogging, salinity and drainage - water quality management - small scale water programmes scarce water resources management and national capacity building.
The IAP-WASAD recognizes the importance of a holistic approach to water resources management in order to meet the global agricultural and rural development needs. It calls for integrated development of irrigated and rainfed farming, livestock, fisheries and agroforestry and emphasizes the importance of water and soil conservation and environmental protection. An important component of the action programme that is relevant to desertification is the control of waterlogging and salinity, which has rendered about 30 million ha of irrigated lands unproductive and some severely salinized lands abandoned and decertified. The Action Programme proposes to rejuvenate those salinized lands that could be economically reclaimed and prevent further sanitization through the provision of artificial drainage and adoption of improved water management practices.
2. Range resources development
Focus relating to range resources development aims at the following:
- increased and improved use of feed resources, particularly at the level of the small holder and with special emphasis on feed produced on the farm;
- nitrogen-fixing forage legumes, and fodder trees and shrubs in the semi-arid and arid zones such as the semi-arid region of South America, the Middle East and North Africa and the arid region of Patagonia, etc.;
- the adaptation of local management systems to changing conditions, and to maximum exploitation of the local technical knowledge;
- the improvement of fodder conservation, fodder trees and shrubs and grazing systems. Networks or regional working groups are used to ensure sharing knowledge between national Institutions and countries with similar ecological conditions.
There is an established long-term programme based on the improvement of grazing resources in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, with major emphasis on Africa and the Near East known as EMASAR (Ecological Management of Arid and Semi-Arid Rangeland). Strategies include an integrated approach to grazing-land development that involves all components in the agriculture sector subject to periodic droughts, with emphasis on the participation of the local population.
3. Forest resources development
Programmes should emphasize the role of trees and forests as a renewable natural resource and aim at promoting the understanding of their contribution in rural development, food security, conservation of genetic resources, wildlife management, wind erosion control and watershed management.
An integrated approach to tree and forest management in drylands and a strategy have emerged particularly after the incidence of drought in a number of areas which is based on: i) a recognition of the role of forestry in arid areas with due consideration of the different ecological, social and economic factors; ii) a framework of principles (integration, diversification of activities, the return of forest benefits to the local communities, etc...), object) objectives and areas for action. Many national and international programmes, among which the TFAP, have confirmed these objectives and approach in their respective components for the control of desertification, the conservation of watersheds in arid areas, the production of wood-based energy and agro-silvo-pastoral integration.
The recent programme, Conservation and Rehabilitation of African Lands, recognizes the impact of deforestation and degradation of tree and shrub cover in arid areas on the degradation of African lands and prioritizes actions for the management of forest resources and plant rehabilitation to control desertification.
Like tropical forests, Mediterranean forests are under serious threat and the causes are the same. For this reason, a Mediterranean Forest Action Programme (MED-FAP) is being launched and will address the major problems linked to sustainable management of plant formations, promotion of the role of forestry in desertification control in the mediterranean regions.
In all these activities, the question of biological as well as financial and institutional sustainability, the elimination of rural poverty and the management of forests as a renewable natural resource for present and future generation are accepted as primary objectives.
4. Energy for sustainable rural development
It is recognized that agriculture and forestry can play a unique role as producers of renewable energy, which is an important pillar for sustainability in drylands, that nations must move fast in this direction and that international' cooperation needs to be mobilized to support these efforts. It is necessary for each country to formulate energy policies for agriculture and rural development. Only in this manner will energy technologies related to irrigation, harvesting, transport, processing and rural services realize their full potential. Making available alternative new and renewable sources of energy to increase energy inputs for rural household and agro-industrial needs and to improve energy efficiencies are among the objectives of SARD and they are all the more critical in dry areas.
5. Conservation and sustainable use of plant and animal genetic resources
It has become increasingly clear that the conservation of plant and animal genetic resources is a logical component of the sustainable development of all biological resources used in agriculture in this regard, the improved use and preservation of plant and animal genetic resources in drylands will contribute to the on-going endeavour to promote sustainable development and the conservation of biological diversity.
Considering the importance of genetic resources in agricultural development, FAO has, since 1983, developed a global system on plant genetic resources. The objectives of this global system are to ensure the safe conservation and promote the availability and sustainable utilization of plant genetic resources for present and future generations, by providing a flexible framework for sharing the benefits and burdens.
A comprehensive programme for the conservation of animal genetic resources has been launched including the characterization and enumeration of animal genetic resources, the identification of breeds at risk and the conservation and utilization of indigenous breeds to guarantee their survival.
6. People's participation in sustainable agriculture and rural development
SARD can best be achieved with active participation of rural people through local self-help organizations of their own choice. Technological solutions of a scientific nature or other externally designed Innovations cannot be sustained on a long-term basis without the active support and participation of rural people.
This fact has been long recognized through the development of a number of participatory programmes. The approaches adopted focus on fostering self-reliance and cooperation. Emphasis is on management practices, building agreements for changes in resource utilization, the rights and duties associated with the use of land, water and forests and on equitable access of rural people, particularly women, small farmers, landless, and indigenous people to land, water and forest resources.