Watershed management and erosion control
Water availability is increasingly recognised as a crucial factor for food security, better livelihoods and sustainable development in rural areas. Thus the issue of water resource management is currently high on the agenda of development policymakers and practitioners.
Declining soil fertility and erosion are a problem in many places. Water often is part of the problem and also part of the solution. Innovative practices of soil and water conservation have been developed in different places – particularly in water-scarce and mountainous areas.
Desertification represents a global challenge. In arid zones upsetting the fragile ecological balance results in soil degradation and in gradual expansion of desert areas, resulting in food insecurity for the local population and consequently in flows of environmental refugees that are a challenge for whole regions and countries.
Selected links:
