A way of life is feeling the heat International development
policies are undermining the long term survival of some of the
globe's poorest communities, argues Masego Madzwamuse, IUCN's
regional programme development officer and focal person for
southern African drylands. She says the skills and knowledge
needed to survive in the world's harsh drylands are being
sacrificed in the name of progress. The world's poorest of the
poor live in the toughest areas of the planet - the drylands.
These areas all have key factors in common: water is scarce, and
rainfall is unpredictable - or it rains only during a very short
period every year. Drylands cover more than 40% of the Earth's
surface and are home to more than two billion people. These
areas are also home to a disproportionate number of people
without secure access to food. Why are 43% of the world's
cultivated lands found in dry areas? And why have decades of
development not led to significant improvements? Rather than
improving, it would appear that the situati