Soil and water conservation strategies at regional, sub-regional and national levels

Soil conservation programmes have concentrated for too long on the physical problem of soil erosion which could not succeed because soil erosion is only a symptom of bad land management. The problem can only be overcome by a process of addressing the underlying causes which can be administrative, social, economic and political, as well as physical. To tackle these issues, appropriate strategies are needed at the regional, sub-regional and national levels. Recently, FAO has been searching for new strategies and approaches, including the active participation of rural communities in conservation programmes. Communication and resolving conflicts are important tools. FAO produced strategies for Africa, Asia and Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean. All contain guidelines for the sub-regional and national levels and how local programmes can be developed with a new approach. This provides for the participation of rural people in conservation through the benefits that conservation can bring directly to them. Numerous examples from different regions are now available to show us what can be done. This paper reports on progress and the way in which some soil conservation programmes are being successfully executed.