This report contains the papers and proceedings of the FAO/UNDP Seminar on the Reclamation and Management of Sandy Soils in the Near East and North Africa. It was the fourth seminar in the series suggested by the Regional Commission on Land and Water Use in the Near East to be organized under the Near East Applied Research Programme on Land and Water Use. On this occasion, owing to the technical subject, FAO invited other countries in North Africa along the Meditteranean coast with sandy soils to participate and share their knowledge and experience on ways to utilize them.
Although in many cases sandy soils are regarded as a menace and unproductive, yet from the proceedings of the seminar it became clear that their productivity could be considerably enhanced provided that the right soil and water management practices are followed. It was also realized that in irrigated as well as rainfed conditions there is a need to expedite research on reclamation and management of sandy soils with special reference to water utilization and fertilization.
The present shortage of land resources and food supplies on a global scale means that soils previously regarded as unproductive, such as sandy ones, and covering very large areas, will have to be brought into use.
The implementation of the recommendations made at the seminar and contained in this publication will be a valuable basis to make sandy soils produce more successfully and to promote effective land use in areas previously considered as less suitable,
R. Dudal
Director
Land and Water Development Division
