Exciting gains
have been made in the fight against desertification,
demonstrating that the drylands can grow beyond crisis,
suffering and insecurity towards a prosperous, secure future
through innovations by land users aided by policy reforms and
applied science and development.
Adopted by the Participants of the ‘From Desert to Oasis’
Symposium/Workshop
Niamey, Niger, 25 September 2006
We, the participants of the ‘From
Deserts to Oasis’ Symposium/Workshop held in Niamey, Niger
during 23-25 September 2006:
Express our gratitude to the Government of Niger and in
particular His Excellency, Prime Minister Mr. Hama Amadou for
welcoming and strongly supporting this international
symposium/workshop on behalf of the African continent;
Appreciate the efforts of the International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),
through the Oasis Systemwide Program (convened jointly with
ICARDA) and the Desert Margins Program to organize and host this
event during the International Year of Deserts and
Desertification, in joint sponsorship with the Secretariat of
the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
and with the endorsement of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), and with representation from regional
bodies including CILSS and the Regional Economic Communities;
and we commend the high level of diversity and expertise
contributed by approximately 100 participants from all African
regions (including those represented by the CORAF, SADC, and
ASARECA research networks) and from international organizations
representing the research, development and donor communities
across Africa;
Consider dryland degradation to be an insidious threat to
all regions of Africa, often unrecognized until it is too late,
culminating in intense human suffering as witnessed repeatedly
through hunger, poverty, insecurity, conflict, mass migration,
and losses of cultural and ecosystem wealth;
Note that while public attention is readily drawn to
dryland catastrophes such as famines, conflicts over scarce
resources, and flights of refugees, there are meanwhile many
inspiring cases of success resulting from the quiet dedication
of millions to build better lives for themselves and their
communities, importantly aided by policy reforms, investments,
research, and development initiatives;
Call attention to the opportunity to learn from and
capitalize on these successes in ways that empower people,
communities and nations to spread their benefits more widely and
deeply, particularly to help the poor and disadvantaged who
suffer most from desertification, with special attention to
women and youth who are especially vulnerable yet are key to the
future;
Urge that development-oriented scientific research be
mobilized to capture and build on these lessons and devise ways
to spread them widely, and to access major new opportunities
through scientific and technological breakthroughs achieved
globally;
Recognize that such research and knowledge-sharing, to be
successful, must address the priority needs expressed by the
poor and must take a holistic approach through
cross-disciplinary partnerships that engage the participation of
land users, governments, regional and international bodies,
non-governmental organizations, civil society, communities and
the private sector;
Highlight the comparative advantages of the drylands
which are vast grasslands and parklands well suited for
livestock grazing and integrated tree-crop-livestock farming,
featuring ample sunshine, fewer pests and diseases, relatively
low populations, favorable soil structure, significant water
resources, valuable biodiversity, and eco-tourism
potential—powerful assets for overcoming poverty and insecurity;
Advocate building on land-users’ strategy of on and
off-farm diversification to introduce new crops and products and
the market connections needed to establish additional revenue
channels that reward the protection and rehabilitation of
natural resources such as soils, water supplies and
biodiversity;
Recommend research emphasis on dryland policy options and
consequences, land tenure issues, farmer decision-making and
incentives, long-term trends in the health of land and
ecosystems, interactions between agricultural and natural
ecosystems, drought preparedness and mitigation, soil and water
resource management, the potential of indigenous and introduced
agro-biodiversity, the value of ecosystem services, and the
improved sharing of knowledge across the spectrum of
stakeholders;
Emphasize the need for research to better document the
full costs of dryland degradation, particularly the losses of
ecological goods and services, and of human and social
capital—and to quantify the substantial benefits that could
accrue from the sustainable rehabilitation and development of
these lands;
Encourage researchers to better communicate the ways in
which their findings can help secure a better future for the
drylands, and to partner with the media and high-profile
advocates to increase the visibility of this cause; and
Endorse the ‘Oasis’ international
research-for-development program being formed in support of the
world’s commitment to combat desertification as articulated in
the UNCCD.
For more
information, contact Dr Barry Shapiro, ICRISAT at
b.shapiro@cgiar.org
