LPPS joins initiative on desertification and drylands

June 17th, the United Nations World Day to Combat Desertification, is the day that 14 organizations from around the world are launching a joint initiative called Drynet. LPPS is the partner organisation of this project in India.

Drynet is concerned with:

• Desertification, drylands and land degradation,
• Communities living in affected areas and their coping strategies, as well as
• Efforts to combat desertification and land degradation due to unsustainable practices and climate change.

This European Union-funded project aims to strengthen civil society networks, such as farmers’ collectives, indigenous groups, women’s organisations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations with knowledge and visibility to influence dryland development policies in affected countries.

Other partner organisations are from Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mauritania, South Africa, Senegal, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, France and Germany. BothEnds, an organisation based in the Netherlands, coordinates the project.

Globally, close to one billion people directly depend upon drylands. Climate changes and unsustainable use are causing land to degrade faster than ever. Drylands constitute about 67% (223 million ha) of India’s area, and degradation and desertification affect nearly one-third of this. Communities in developing countries often bear the heaviest cost of these problems.

Yet it is possible to make a difference. Local organisations and individuals in many parts of the world have developed ways to adapt to or mitigate the effects the desertification. Such successes need to be brought to the attention of policy makers and other stakeholders.

As part of Drynet, LPPS will publicise work by civil society organisations in India, highlight good practices and innovations, and share experiences with agencies elsewhere. The Drynet website (www.dry-net.org) will provide text and multimedia content such as radio programmes.

What you can do

• If you work with a civil society organisation working in regions affected by land degradation or dryland areas in India, please write in with details of your organisation, field of expertise, as well as innovative practices or success stories you know of. Write to us at lpps@sify.com for details on how to provide this information.
• For more information about the Drynet project and its objectives, write to lpps@sify.com
• Read about LPPS’s efforts to revive camel rearing through our pilot camel milk project.
• Read about the unique Camel Yatra (pilgrimage) that LPPS embarked upon to collect information about the dwindling camel populations and the problems faced by their rearers.

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