Desire for Greener Land

actually implemented in the field. In the DESIRE project,
the involvement of different disciplines (environmental
sciences, social sciences, development specialists, agronomists)
allowed a greater depth of understanding regarding
the biophysical and socio-economic issues in the specific
dryland sites.
2. Stakeholder – science collaboration
It is also vital to involve local stakeholders from the very
start of a project, as this ensures that their site specific
knowledge and experience can be taken into account,
and that their views and practical experience are integrated
into the project. The close collaboration in such a
transdisciplinary approach creates a greater sense of ownership,
and increases the chance that selected strategies
will actually be implemented and adopted more widely.
Most important aspects of involving local stakeholders
are motivation and ownership, and these should never be
underestimated. When local people are not motivated to
cooperate and do not feel part of the project, because,
for example, they do not see the value of the research,
or perhaps do not see what they stand to gain from it,
it can seriously jeopardise the success and effectiveness
of project outcomes. Getting people involved as partners
and keeping them motivated requires a continuous effort
of stimulating them and informing them about what is
happening within the project. Stakeholder participation
can be further advanced by also involving (local) NGOs
from the start of a project. Facilitation of the whole
stakeholder process itself, embedded within the ‘DESIRE
approach’, needs to be done by people trained for this
purpose, such as skilled moderators.
Without such an integrated, site specific understanding of
the desertification issues at hand, and without the involvement
of stakeholders, it is almost impossible to come to a
selection of strategies against desertification that is a) suitable
for the specific area in question, b) physically effective,
as well as c) socially and economically acceptable.
3. A sound scientific basis
Local knowledge needs to be backed-up by scientific
knowledge. Participative approaches should not be misused
to justify inaction due to scientific uncertainty, but
need to be supplemented by rigorous scientific research
for several reasons.
Firstly, scientists generally have better access to remediation
technologies that have been developed elsewhere.
It is easier for them to find the right information sources
and, as a result, they are well placed to pass relevant
information on to local stakeholders. Scientists also have
access to software tools that enable objective evaluation
of technologies, such as the use of evaluator software in
step 2 of the DESIRE approach. These tools enable local
stakeholders to make a well-informed decision as to what
SLM strategy is most suitable and effective for them,
incorporating both physical and socio-economic criteria.
Scientists can, through their understanding of the principles
on which measures are based, also assist in adapting
measures to local conditions, thus optimising the chance
of implementation success.
Secondly, scientists are needed to support the land user in
testing and monitoring the selected SLM technologies and
approaches in the field. Scientists have access to technical
tools, which can effectively evaluate the impacts of different
land management options in the field (eg. yields, soil
moisture values, nutrient concentrations, etc.), as described
in step 3 of the DESIRE methodology (chapter 1.1).
Finally, scientists have access to state-of-the-art mapping
and modelling methods, which can be used to up-scale
the findings. This will ensure that expectations to increase
productivity and reduce land degradation, whilst protecting
important ecosystem services, can be met when they
are applied in different contexts.
4. Dissemination and communication from the start
Continuously providing the right information, to the right
people, in the right form is vital, not only to keep stakeholders
involved, but also to optimise the chance that
project results will actually be used. DESIRE recognises
that information and knowledge held by researchers and
non-scientist stakeholders must be shared much more
effectively to ensure the research outcomes can achieve
the maximum possible impact in desertification-affected
countries.
Therefore, a dissemination strategy should be developed
at the start of a research project and should clearly
outline who the relevant stakeholders are and what
information they should be given at what stage of the
project. The communication strategy should not only
include stakeholders that are directly involved with the
project, like farmers, local and regional policy makers,
contributing NGOs and scientists, but also relevant
and influential politicians, as well as local, national and
international, media. Each type of stakeholder needs to
be addressed in ways that are suitable for them. DESIRE
China, Hanspeter Liniger Morocco, Gudrun Schwilch
64 DESIRE – WOCAT Desire for Greener Land