Conservation farming on steep lands - USAid

6
The USAID approach
to soil conseiwatior
assistance programs
Raymond E. Meyer
Acti~~ities of the U.S. Agcncy for International Development cover a
wide range of topics. USAID works with host governn~ental institutions
and implements projects through contractors, so projects with similar goals
or purposes may be quite different. depending upon the country and local
situation. The USAID information base includes approximately 100 projects
related to soil conservatioa. Few of these were called soil conservation
projects, but many had a component relar:;,g to conservation. Many
of the types of activities discussed in this book nvy be sponsored or assisted
by USAID.
USAID works at several levels of organization. The most common is
at the host-country level through the USAID mission in tile country. These
bilateral projects arc country-specific and generally have no provision for
dissemination of lessons learned. There are few geographically regional
projects, although the Africa Bureau ha!: just completed a natural resource
plan for the region. There is no unified or overall focus on soil and water
conservation within the agency.
Some project considerations
There are several considerations that a donor should take into account
when deciding upon projects. As soil conservationists, for example, we
have an important role to play in providing the best possible information
so that investment decisions and interventions can be made with the most
likelihood of success. We should insist that decisions be based on scientific
fact rather than rhetoric. If data are not available, research should
be supported to obtain the necessary data.
Hoy does a donor decide whether to support activities addressing degradation
in dryland regions or on steep lands, to address soil conservation