The goal of this paper is to convince donor agencies and ministers that investing in drylands is economically rational.
Chris Reij and David Steeds
This paper by Chris Reij and David Steeds from the Centre for International Cooperation (CIS) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam reviews the findings of some long-term studies of drylands area development in East Africa and in the West African Sahel. The broad findings are that drylands people are remarkably resilient and have succeeded in increasing their incomes in sustainable ways, and in coping with all but the most severe natural calamities. Coping has entailed on-farm innovation in risk-reducing and productivity-enhancing techniques and activities, and developing off-farm income sources, which are often, but not always, invested in on-farm activities. A thriving agricultural economy promoted by sound policy is clearly necessary, but is not a sufficient condition for successful drylands development.
In reviewing successful drylands agricultural projects, the paper finds two common themes:
- Institutional development
- Technical innovation
Mistakes have been painfully learned, as also in more humid areas, but project performance in drylands has greatly improved over time.
The paper identifies some pointers towards successes. It ends with some suggestions for next steps, including stimulating impact assessment of dryland projects, commissioning more long-term area development studies, as well as mainstreaming the findings of this paper in new agricultural initiatives and in poverty reduction strategies.
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