People, land and water

Poverty alleviation, food security and environmental sustainability are closely linked and represent major development challenges for all actors involved in the field of natural resource management. Poverty alleviation requires sustained economic growth, but it is also necessary to ensure that the poor benefit from that growth. Efforts must also be made to improve food security by providing conditions of access and proper utilization by the poor.

Promoting environmental sustainability includes challenging goals such as fighting land degradation (especially desertification), halting deforestation, promoting proper management of water resources through irrigation schemes and protecting biodiversity. All these activities must be designed and implemented with the active participation of those families and communities who are struggling to ensure their livelihood in changing unfavourable environments. But they must also include other stakeholders who are playing or can play a role in these changes : government technical services, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), development projects, rural media, community organizations and research teams. Finally, local and national authorities, policy-makers and service providers must also be involved in shaping the regulatory environment in which the required changes will take place.

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