The authors and contributors presented the results of the study undertaken over the period of several years, followed by an open discussion on the themes raised in the study.
- The study provides evidence on how the increasing land degradation and climate change on land-dependent economic sectors in five Central Asian countries affects availability of resources and jobs, driving out-migration and, in some cases, instability.
- Central Asia is becoming a new hotspot for environmental and social challenges. The combination of rapid population growth, increased urban pressures, poverty and dependence on the agricultural sector for over 50 per cent of the population together with environmental and climate crises, lead to growing migration and social risks.
- The research project is implemented by the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and financed by the voluntary contribution from Russian Federation.
- LDM Central Asia full text RUSSIAN.pdf
- LDM Central Asia Executive Summary RUSSIAN.pdf
- Recording and study in English forthcoming
Main conclusions:
Great variety of land degradation and climate change trends in the region Central Asia defines the following:
- Direct link between land degradation / climate change and migration in this stage cannot be directly traced for the CA region as a whole.
- However, desertification and land degradation serve as the main triggers for migration from the countryside, which determines indirect impact of land degradation on migration.
- Low adaptive capacity of farmers farms determines the importance of developing measures on adaptation to climate change.
- Three types of modern economic models in the region: labor export (mainly Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), resource (in mainly Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) and hybrid model (Uzbekistan).
- The ratio of “pushing out” and "pull" factors of migration in different countries varies depending on socio-economic conditions and time.
- Models for sustainable land use and best practices of successful practices can be seen as deterrents to migration.
- Gender may be more effective in investment strategies through an approach based on a broad participation in capacity building.
- The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic has led to a reduction in remittances, which complicated the socio-economic situation in the countries of the region and caused political instability and social tension.
- “Vicious circle”: Push factors migration is unlikely to be directly mitigated through the introduction of individual “successful” practices. In some cases, this approach leads to reducing labor intensity in agriculture and, in turn, to reduce the natural land potential multiplied by the reduction of employment with a labor surplus.
- Creation of decent working conditions and promotion of “green jobs” in the agricultural sector could help break the vicious circle.
- The “Area of Improved Land” and the “social satisfaction” Index can serve as adequate indicators of land degradation and migration, respectively.
Related:
- The book recognizes the contribution of SLM to food security, improved livelihoods, mitigation of widespread land degradation and climate change adaptation and mitigation, advocating that best SLM practices must be scaled up and SLM mainstreamed as a priority at all levels.
- Consolidated efforts are needed for knowledge management concerning SLM technologies and approaches and their spreading, not only to document and monitor valuable experiences for their own sake, but for dissemination and use in improved decision-making at the field and planning level.
- Investment in spreading SLM practices in Sub-Saharan Africa has great scope and can deliver multiple benefits not only locally, but also regionally (e.g. in watersheds), nationally as well as globally.
- Many of the global issues such as food security, poverty, water scarcity, desertification, climate change mitigation and adaption, and biodiversity are closely related to SLM.
- The book presents 13 major groups of SLM technologies and approaches in a user-friendly manner, exemplified by 47 case studies from all over the region.
- The practices documented in the publication can also be viewed in the WOCAT Global SLM Database.
- Integrated Soil Fertility Management
- Conservation Agriculture
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Smallholder Irrigation Management
- Cross-Slope Barriers
- Agroforestry
- Integrated Crop-Livestock Management
- Pastoralism and Rangeland Management
- Sustainable Planted Forest Management
- Sustainable Forest Management in Drylands
- Sustainable Rainforest Management
- Trends and New Opportunities
- SLM Approaches
- Funded by: the multi-donor TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund, the World Bank, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Publication English Book SLM in Practice English 42.8 MB Download
French Book SLM in Practice French 42.3 MB Download
Some promising trends and opportunities in SSA include:
- Processing agricultural products or ‘value chain’ development – New markets for certified agricultural products e.g. Fair Trade, Organic Farming, Forest Certification, etc.
- Markets for endemic plants grown under organic / fair trade conditions (e.g. rooibos tea in South Africa)
- Markets for medicinal plants (many indigenous to Africa, including ‘devil’s claw’; Harpagophitis procumbens)
- Origin labeling (e.g. traditional coffee varieties in Ethiopia, grown under shade)
- Biotechnology for higher yield, improved fruits, new varieties
- Genetically modified crops (BT Maize in South Africa) in combination with conservation agriculture
- Markets for ecotourism and agro-ecotourism
- Markets for bio-energy / fuel
- Markets related to compensation payments e.g. payment for ecosystem services (PES): paying for carbon storage in forests, watershed services, Green Water Credits. Green Water Credits (GWC) attempts to bridge the incentive gap between upstream and downstream water users. It is a regular compensation system by water users to water providers for specified water management services (e.g. for hydropower and irrigation).
- Establishing training, research and agricultural information centers
- Productive gullies for producing cash crops
Furthermore, investment opportunities are related to support services such as establishing farm machinery and equipment plants; tractor hire centers; operating agriculture mechanisation
centers; developing human and animal power technologies; seed multiplication farms; training of extension specialists and agricultural researchers.
Related:
WOCAT and the UNCCD : Your Source of Knowledge on Agroecology Good Practices ?5 to 8 October 2022. During the 2022 International civil society Summit «Desertif'actions», which took place in Montpellier, WOCAT and UNCCD held a joint session on tools, knowledge, partnership and services to bring Sustainable Land Management and Agroecology to scale by context.
- Dr. Rima Mekdaschi Studer, SLM expert of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at University of Bern, presented "WOCAT: Good Practices and an Open Network - Bringing SLM/Agroecology to Scale"
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