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Agriculture & Environment: Desert science

Opinions

Here is a list of the latest articles

Tree nursery, Niger

Rio+20 should make sustainable land use a top priority

World leaders must promote effective land use methods to mitigate drought, says Luc Gnacadja of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

18 April 2012 | EN | FR

Islam Analysis: Give science a social contract

Ambitious plans for a 'desert development corridor' in Egypt could provide a concrete example of the social value of science, says Athar Osama.

11 August 2011 | EN | FR

A worker tries to lift a weak cow from among the carcasses of drought-stricken livestock

Better grazing practices hold key to Kenyan droughts

The current drought in northern Kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist David Western.

5 August 2011 | EN

Sorghum farmer in Burkina Faso

Drought-tolerance: a learning challenge for poor farmers

Drought-tolerant crops could improve food security — if researchers take downstream adoption challenges seriously, says Travis Lybbert.

14 July 2010 | EN

Agriculture can adapt to climate change

Innovative agricultural technologies can produce crops that meet climate change challenges, says ICRISAT head William Dar.

20 November 2009 | EN

Scientific strategies can save dryland agriculture

Climate change will make Indian dryland agriculture harder, but a scientific strategy offers real hope, says ICRISAT head William D. Dar.

15 July 2009 | EN

Atacama desert in Chile

Dryland development needs science and sustainability

Sustainably developing drylands means balancing local knowledge, science and conflicting demands, says Elena María Abraham.

30 April 2009 | EN

Western China is an arid area

Protect grasslands to stop sandstorms in eastern China

Better grassland protection and more targeted funding in rural China are needed to reduce the risk of sandstorms, argues Jiang Gaoming.

Source: China Dialogue

2 May 2007 | EN | 中文

Tree nurseries like this one in Niger provide seedlings to stabilise soils

Can a UN convention tackle desertification?

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification needs to support local action for it to be effective, says Camilla Toulmin.

2 October 2006 | EN