ENB:04:11
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WRI:
Peter Veit spoke about the need for socially appropriate dryland management technologies. He commented that many effective technologies and techniques already exist and are being practiced by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa's drylands. Several matters regarding small-scale technologies and local- level natural resource management have implications for dryland management in sub-Saharan Africa, including: local resource management (security in land and resources, socio-economic opportunities and incentives, and an enabling political environment); technologies with multiple objectives; technologies as packages of knowledge, skills, resources and practices; and indigenous technologies and local knowledge. To be practical, technologies also must have valued returns, known effectiveness, cultural acceptance, and the capability to use local labor and management resources. Government actions that might facilitate small-scale technologyinterventions for improving dryland management include: improve existing technologies; strengthen village institutions; strengthen informal information exchanges; and channel resources to the grassroots.