Combating drought and desertification

Drought and desertification are major environmental and socio-economic problems with negative effects on the livelihood of populations in many African countries. Two thirds of the continent is desert or drylands, and almost three quarters of agricultural land is degraded to some degree. It is estimated that more than 500 million hectares of the continent’s land is affected by soil erosion and degradation. Drought and desertification greatly affect Africa’s agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability.

In many African countries, combating desertification and promoting economic development are interdependent. Many poor African people have limited choice but to over-exploit the land. The degradation of land through use of unsustainable practices and technologies threatens their livelihoods, through instances of food insecurity among others. It is a source of social and political tensions and conflicts in some communities and countries of the continent. Desertification has other adverse impacts on non-drylands as well. In addition to dust storms, biophysical impacts include downstream flooding, impairment of global carbon sequestration capacity, and global climate change.

A majority of African countries are contracting parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). By being parties to the UNCCD, the countries have committed themselves to mobilize and secure action to arrest expansion of deserts and arrest land degradation. The need to invest in measures to combat drought and desertification is also emphasised in the NEPAD framework document. Paragraph 138 of the framework identifies such measures as rehabilitation of degraded lands as crucial. Several NEPAD programmes have projects dedicated to issues of land rehabilitation, soil erosion, water management and biodiversity conservation. In addition to these, scientific research and technological innovation will be required to address challenges of drought and desertification.

Programme Objectives

The overall objective of this programme is to strengthen the scientific and technical capacities of African countries to combat drought and desertification.

Its specific goals are to:

• Improve scientific understanding of and sharing of information on the causes and extent of drought and desertification in Africa;
• Mobilize, build and promote sharing of scientific expertise and technical skills in drought and desertification related research; and
• Grow regional and continental centres of excellence in drought and desertification research.

Indicative Projects and Activities

The above objectives will be achieved by further developing and implementing specific projects, including the ones outlined below.

Project 1: Promoting Exchange of Scientific Information on Drought and Desertification

There is a growing body of scientific studies on drought and desertification in Africa. Without any doubt, there is a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge on land degradation, soil erosion and other aspects. However, it seems that access to these valuable data is hampered, as national surveys and results of projects and programmes related to drought and desertification are not adequately disseminated. This makes it difficult to promote best practices and implement an integrated approach encompassing land degradation, vulnerability, and rehabilitation. In addition, it makes it difficult to invest in developing new technologies. There is a clear and urgent need for reviewing the current scientific research activities on drought and desertification in order to design ways to promote dissemination of the relevant data. Access to and use of such data is crucial for determining new research priorities.

This proposed project will focus on:

• Developing a standardized or common framework for profiling and disseminating information on the nature and outputs of scientific research being conducted by African and international institutions. The framework will also form the basis of establishing a continental information hub or pivot on drought and desertification research;
• Development of a continental databank on scientific research and technologies aimed at combating drought and desertification; and
• Preparing and disseminating a comprehensive profile of African scientists and technicians in areas related to drought and desertification, with emphasis on soil science and water management.

Project 2: Building and Sharing Scientific and Technical Capacities

Most African countries have relatively weak scientific and technical capacities—skills/expertise, institutions, funding and physical infrastructure— to launch and sustain national programmes for drought and desertification research. It is crucial that they design and adopt measures to collectively strengthen training and research capacity in various aspects of desertification and drought. This project aims at establishing a network of African universities and related R&D agencies to increase the range and quality of scientific skills.

Its specific actions will include:

• A comprehensive assessment of capacity (with emphasis on the kinds of skills and equipment) needs of the continent as a whole. This will be done largely through questionnaire and review of national reports or submissions. It will also focus on the nature and impact of African universities’ programmes;
• Based on the assessment and clear criteria as well as guidelines, universities and R&D centres will be identified and designated as hubs and nodes of an African Drought and Desertification Research and Innovation Network; and
• Establishment of an MSc and PhD fellowships scheme will be an important basis for increasing scientific capacity. Based on specific criteria and guidelines, students will be supported to undertake postgraduate studies and research at the hubs and nodes. Research focused on increasing scientific understanding of the causes of and trends in drought and desertification will be encouraged.