Sustainable development of fragile lands: The case of extensive livestock production in Africa

Abstract

The problems associated with the long-term sustainable development of fragile lands in the Third World can be viewed from several differing perspectives, ranging from the strictly technical to the critically despairing. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that complex problems require complex solutions, where complexity is demonstrated in the use of such key terms as fragile lands, differing agendas, institution building, and even sustainability itself. The point of departure is international donor assistance to the extensive livestock sector in the semi-arid tropics of Africa. Have such efforts floundered because the original project designs were flawed and the assumptions on which they were based simply wrong, or rather have they floundered because the problems encountered are too complex for ‘rational solution’? This article favors the former perspective, and proposes a holistic approach to project design that will address the following key issues: policy dialogue and policy changes; land tenure; the differing agendas of the various actors involved; the role and participation of the local population; and, finally, the role of technology.