Research Projects: Desertification and Livelihoods in Semi-Arid Afro-Eurasia

tanaka Ueru Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

shinjo Hitoshi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

kobayashi Hirohide Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

nakamura Hiroshi Global Environmental Forum

miura Rei-ichi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University

Semi-arid Afro-Eurasia is one of the front-lines of desertification. Numerous nomadic and agricultural peoples inhabit the area, employing various husbandry practices and livelihood strategies. Difficulties in preventing desertification stem from poverty of the local communities that live on limited natural resources in the area, hence countermeasures to this environmental problem could be elicited from people’s livelihood and be designed through glocal and human-scale actions therein. We will elucidate the interrelations between people’s livelihood and desertification, and livelihood strategies for socio-ecological adaptation to desertification and suggest practical and feasible approaches to cope with the problem.

Semi-arid Afro-Eurasia has been exposed to climatic, ecological and socio-economic changes with significant uncertainties. The area, one of the front-lines of desertification, appears to suffer from a vicious cycle of poverty and land degradation. The difficulty in sucessfully addressing complex socio-economic and environmental problems since ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) imply the need to re-examine approaches employed to date. The objectives of our project are therefore to: 1) deepen our understanding of human-environment interrelations and livelihood strategies relevant for socio-ecological adaptation to desertification; 2) re-examine current practices for desertification prevention and development assistance; and 3) suggest practical and feasible approaches to cope with desertification.

Our study areas encompass the Sahel region of West Africa (Burkina Faso and Niger), southern Africa (Namibia), and semi-arid India. Each of these areas has distinct socio-economic and ecological contexts that modulate livelihood activities, threats to livelihood, and potential adaptation strategies. Inter-area comparison studies play an integral role in identifying the common and region-specific features of the zone under study.

Socio-economic and ecological analyses will permit re-examination of current techniques used to prevent desertification and to promote development. Analysis of indigenous practices that have supported livelihoods and minimized desertification through time will allow project researchers to develop complementary countermeasures. Our recent innovation and development of a “fallow band system” in Niger has been proven useful in controlling wind erosion and concurrently promoting yield increase by 30 – 50% without the inputs of additional labour and materials (Fig. 1). We will use this system as an innovation tracer and/or pilot program in order to identify some channels of information and technique dissemination and to evaluate local adaptation and innovation.

We will also conduct action research in the field of indigenous technology- and technique-transfer, especially in the Sahel (Fig. 2). Noting that “indigenous” techniques are location-specific, we expect to observe hybridizations as specific techniques are adapted for local systems. Analysis of this process of hybridization should reveal some deeper aspects of livelihood dynamics.