The struggle to survive and to maintain living conditions in a changing natural environment plays a vital role for people in arid and semi-arid areas. This workshop helps to maintain the environment and improve living conditions

It is a workshop

The workshop focusses on

Dune in Mauritania approaching cultivated land

Overall objective of the workshop:

Knowledge of tools and approaches to define an effective strategy to combat desertification in a participatory approach for a selected area.

Sub-objectives:

Farmer of Niagha working on a resource map

 

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approaches and tools will be used on different levels in order to assure a high efficiency and participation:

  • transect in different villages
  • interviews with different focus groups
  • resource map
  • land-use map
  • resource-use diagrams
  • plenary discussions in order to discuss working group results
  • organisationel diagram

Women in Mauretania showing a hoe that she first saw being used by neighbours

 

Which techniques exist to combat desertification?

  • agroforestry, forestry
  • rain-water harvesting systems(dikes, dams, and "demi-lunes")
  • physical erosion-control and improvement of infiltration(gabion, diguette, ridging, tie-ridging)
  • agricultural management systems (controlled grazing, zero tillage...)

 

 

In Senegal a visit of a group of farmers to a village 300km away that had been working since 5 years in erosion-control resulted in the mobilisation of the village. The experienced village acted from this moment on as a consultant to the farmers group.

 

 

Farmer in Senegal planning a new woodlot

The logical framework, adapted to different planning levels and integrated in a land use planning approach, will be used as planning instrument.

 

The combination of short-, medium- and long- term beneficial activities, e.g. Cajanus Cajan with fast-growing and slow-growing trees in an anti-erosion programme makes the work for the farmers a lot more productive, beneficial and acttractive.

Participatory evaluation as a communal event

 

To walk around with villagers, to look at different accomplishements and to discuss advantages and disadvantages are more effective than hours of discussions and training.

 

 

Long term work process:

The cycle of analysis-reflection-research-planning-implementation-evaluation has to be repeated from time to time in order to learn from the experiences and to improve the way forward.

 

Sustainable Development
in rural areas of Africa  

I support you in preparing and implementing projects and programs

 

 

 

 

 




Workshop offer:

Methods to combat desertification as a commom goal

 

Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities (UNCCD 1994)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This workshop adresses governmental and non-governmental organisations and institutions engaged in regions, districts, rural water catchments. etc The workshops' aim is to take into account all the necessary elements to combat desertification, to analyse these elements according to their significance and variability, to define realistic changes of these elements and to define the process of implementation, the know-how necessary, partners, funding, back-stopping etc. this workshop can be the basis for an organisation's programme or the basis for a countrywide-start to combat desertification.

 

Elements of the strategy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Step:

Analysis

Important elements to cover:
  • analysis of land-use patterns, traditionel and modern land ownership, livestock and agricultural land-use;
  • land-use conflicts;
  • traditions and beliefs concerning land-use;
  • institutional and organisational settings on local and national level, aims and activities of these institutions and organisations
  • gender aspects
  • national politics towards desertification
  • legal aspects;
  • international aspects (international trade terms, technical cooperation)
  • marketing aspects; etc

 

 

 

 

 

Second Step

Searching for Solutions

What has been done already, positive aspects, results and expereinces to build upon?

What instruments could be used on different levels to combat desertification?

  • land-use planning
  • networking with other groups and organisations?
  • use of farmers knowledge(traditionel and modern knowledge)
  • participation of all concernced people
  • on-farm research, local farming practises
Where to get information and how to organise the information exchange?
  • communal interaction
  • science
  • common sense

Funds available to combat desertification

  • local, national, international
  • income generating aspects to combat desertification
Partners for this process
  • NGO's, Governmental services
  • farmers groups with positve experiences

 

 

 

 

 

Third Step

Definition of realistic changes

What are our possibilities to influence desertification?

What areour human and financial resources?

What are limiting factors and how can we overcome?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifth step

Evaluation as an instrument to improve planning and implementation

Clear definition of the role of evaluation is necessary. In this context, evaluation is not seen as control but as an instrument for all involved groups to learn from mistakes during the analysis, planning and implementation process.

Participatory evaluation by the people involved will assure ownership and improvement of the process.

Use of indicators defined during the planning process assures transparency.

Mid-term evaluation as a useful tool to correct wrong decisions as early as possible in order to avoid frustration.

Evaluation includes technical, social and organisational aspects:

  • Did we organise our work in a way that all concerned people can participate?
  • Are woman suffiently involved?
  • Is the activity effective?
  • Who benefits from the activity?
  • Are our activities really oriented towards our goal to combat desertification?
  • Do we have the right partners?

 

 

 

Fourth Step

Planning to combat desertification

Land-use planning as integrated instrument can be the core planning method:

  • simple hand-drawn maps, putting emphasis on the actual and future resource-use, taking into accountconflicts
  • short-term, medium-term and long-term planning aspects to see "the light at the end of the tunnel"
  • organisational ajustments of involved groups have to be included in the planning process
  • the results of a local anti-desertification programme have to be included and matched in regional and local plans
  • financial contributions of different partners

 

Strategies to implement plans:

  • what are most promising steps towards success?
  • who should participate?
  • how to assure transparency?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshop variations:

This workshop can be tailored towards the needs of the client:

more emphasis can be put on learning and using the instruments to analyse the situation;
more emphasis can be put on the elaboration of a complete strategy;

the whole process from analysis to the first implementation can be accompanied.

 

This workshop can be conducted in English or French