Looking after our landSoil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa
Looking after our land
Soil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa
Will Critchley
edited by Olivia Graham
LOOKING AFTER OUR LAND:
Soil and Water Conservation in Dryland Africa
by
Will Critchley
Edited by
Olivia Graham
Published by Oxfam on behalf of the Arid Lands Information Network and the International Institute for Environment and Development.
Oxfam
274 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7DZ
UK
First published 1991
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0 85598 170 9
Extracts may be freely reproduced by the press or by
non-profit organisations with acknowledgement
All photographs are by Will Critchley unless otherwise credited.
ALIN/IIED would like to express their sincere thanks to the donors who funded this publication and its accompanying video.
COMIC RELIEF
EDWARD CADBURY CHARITABLE TRUST
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
OXFAM
SWEDISH RED CROSS
Project Steering Committee:
Will Critchley
Ced Hesse
Olivia Graham
Katharine McCullough
Camilla Toulmin
Designed by
Bob Prescott Design Associates
Printed by
Oxfam Print Unit
Illustrations by
Timothy Critchley
Both this book and the accompanying video are available in English and French and can be obtained through Oxfam country offices as well as direct from:
Oxfam Publications, 274, Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DZ,
U.K.
Drylands Programme, IIED, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WCIH ODD, U.K.
ALIN/RITA, Casier Postal 3, Dakar-Fann, Senegal.
© FAO
Part one: Learning from experience
1. New approaches to old problems
Soil conservation projects - Why so many failures?
The growing need for effective conservation programmes
New approaches - Some success at last
A word of caution!
An introduction to the case studiesParticipation
Suitable systems
Training and motivation
Using existing groups and institutions
Flexibility
Basing techniques on traditional systems
Village land-use management
Collaboration between organisations
Incentives
Mechanisation
Life of the project
Monitoring and evaluation
Rapid benefits for farmers
Reaching the poorest3. Planning a soil and water conservation project
1. The agroforestry project (PAF) - Yatenga Province
2. PATECORE - Kongoussi1. The national soil and water conservation project - Mackakos District
2. Lokitaung pastoral development project - Turkana district1. Tradition soil and water conservation on the Dogon Plateau
2. Projet Lutte anti-erosive (PLAE) - Koutiala