Towards Sustainable Dryland Development in Africa: Integrating Groundwater and Land Management

Long term, irreversible loss in agricultural production from degradation of dryland is a major threat to human, food, and environmental security in the arid and semi-arid parts of Africa. The scope to compensate here for with agricultural intensification has however remained limited. The key limiting factor is water, with the consequent erosion of the very foundation for social and environmental security, exacerbation of rural poverty, and frequent regional famines with increasing food aid dependence.