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Desire for Greener Land

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Assessment<br />

Impacts of the Technology<br />

Production and socio-economic benefits Production and socio-economic disadvantages<br />

decreased workload (less damage to fields due to less gully<br />

<strong>for</strong>mation)<br />

increased expenses on agricultural inputs<br />

hindered farm operations<br />

Socio-cultural benefits Socio-cultural disadvantages<br />

improved conservation / erosion knowledge<br />

conflict mitigation (less damage to neighbours’ fields)<br />

Ecological benefits Ecological disadvantages<br />

reduced soil loss<br />

reduced hazard towards adverse events<br />

reduced surface runoff<br />

improved harvesting / collection of water<br />

increased soil moisture<br />

improved soil cover<br />

increased soil organic matter / below ground C<br />

increased animal diversity (terraces provide corridors<br />

connecting fields and provide shelter)<br />

increased plant diversity<br />

increased beneficial species<br />

increased / maintained habitat diversity<br />

Off-site benefits Off-site disadvantages<br />

reduced downstream flooding<br />

reduced downstream siltation<br />

reduced damage on neighbours fields<br />

reduced damage on public / private infrastructure<br />

improved buffering / filtering capacity<br />

Contribution to human well-being/livelihoods<br />

There is less damage to fields and to infrastructure due to gully <strong>for</strong>mation and flooding.<br />

Benefits/costs according to land user<br />

Benefits compared with costs short-term: long-term:<br />

Establishment negative<br />

neutral /<br />

balanced<br />

Maintenance/recurrent neutral / balanced slightly positive<br />

Implementation of the terraces is relatively expensive. Additionally planting of shrubs is also relatively expensive and requires a subsidy.<br />

Once installed, maintenance is not expensive and pays off because of less damage to fields and infrastructure.<br />

Acceptance/adoption:<br />

Eighty per cent of land user families have implemented the technology with external material support. Terraces are traditionally<br />

widespread in the region. Most of them were installed without external support. Nowadays there are subsidies <strong>for</strong> construction and<br />

maintenance of vegetated strips and terraces. Twenty per cent of land user families have implemented the technology voluntary.<br />

There is no trend towards (growing) spontaneous adoption of the technology. There is acceptance, but it is not growing. In some parts<br />

terraces are removed to make larger fields, and some new ones are also constructed. Recently installed subsidies may change this<br />

Concluding statements<br />

Strengths and how to sustain/improve Weaknesses and how to overcome<br />

This technology is very effective at reducing surface runoff and<br />

erosion by reducing slope gradients and connectivity. In addition,<br />

it has a water harvesting effect. So it reduces on-site and off-site<br />

erosion problems and potentially increases water retention in the<br />

fields. The technology can be enhanced by providing more<br />

in<strong>for</strong>mation and publicity so that existing terraces are maintained.<br />

The terraces prevent gully <strong>for</strong>mation and damage to the fields<br />

and to their neighbours maintenance is needed and should be<br />

promoted.<br />

The technology does not improve farm income and has a significant<br />

implementation cost Provide in<strong>for</strong>mation on all the advantages that<br />

include many costs <strong>for</strong> society (including floods, reservoir siltation<br />

etc.). The subsidy <strong>for</strong> implementation already solves the problem of<br />

implementation costs.<br />

It is considered relatively expensive to implement and particularly the<br />

optional planting of woody species is considered complicated in dry<br />

years Subsidies <strong>for</strong> terrace construction and planting of woody<br />

species as well as cooperation between farmers to reduce costs of<br />

maintenance when subsidies stop.<br />

Key reference(s): CARM 2008. Programa de Desarrollo Rural de la Región de Murcia 2007-2013 Tomo I. 508pp,<br />

http://www.carm.es/neweb2/servlet/integra.servlets.ControlPublico?IDCONTENIDO=4689&IDTIPO=100&RASTRO=c431$m1219<br />

Contact person: Joris de Vente, EEZA-CSIC, Joris@sustainable-ecosystems.com<br />

152 DESIRE – WOCAT <strong>Desire</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Greener</strong> <strong>Land</strong>

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