Land and water degradation poses a significant threat to food
security and the livelihoods and wellbeing of rural populations
in Asia and Sub Saharan Africa that occupy degraded-prone
marginal lands. This issue is of particular relevance in
countries where lateral expansion of agricultural industries
through exploitation of land and water resources is exhausted
and therefore migration of communities to new areas is
restricted. The overall purpose of the project is to enhance the
livelihoods and food security of smallholder communities through
a series of linked common activities. This will be achieved
through a global survey of locations where degradation of land
and water resources interact with household food security and
quality of livelihoods; to analyze in detail the link between
degradation and poverty and its alleviation through the
development of ‘bright’ spots which effectively reverse these
degradation trends; and to develop guidelines for the assessment
and analysis of ‘bright’ spots that could be