Workshop on Alignment & implementation of National Action programmes with the UNCCD 10-year Strategy in the Arab Region League of Arab States (18- 20 June 2014), Dubai - UAE FAO Daniel Dale

1. Daniel Danano
Land Management and Tenure Officer, FAORNE
1
WOCAT- LADA tools for Evaluation,
documenting and dissemination of SLM
in the NENA Region
As tools for assessing and mapping Land degradation

2. WOCAT
LADA
Tools for
Documentation
Evaluation and
Dissemination of good
practices +
Mapping land degradation

3. Objectives / goals
The overall objective of the WOCAT – LADA tools and Network is to
coordinate the efforts in knowledge management and decision support for up-
scaling SLM among users.
The network provides tools that allow SLM specialists to identify fields and
needs of action, share their valuable knowledge in land management, that
assist them in their search for appropriate SLM technologies and approaches,
and
support in making decisions in the field and at the planning level and in up-
scaling identified best practices

4. Need for a systematic methods (KM plus problem diagnosis) lead to
WOCAT LADA
There a number of local knowledge / practice / experience but not
documented
Even the documented are in different formats / style
Most of the formats lack basic or the required information
Net work of specialists
Evolvement of WOCAT – LADA

5. Why WOCAT – LADA tools ?
KM is key to decision making
• knowledge not used for decision
making
impact, economics ------
• Building on existing knowledge
• understanding local adaptations
and innovations
• options for upscaling
• proritizing where to invest

6. Why SLM ?
From degradation /
desertification
Threats
UNCCD
SLM
to spread it
 good news!

7. standardized methods and tools
WOCAT has developed a framework for documentation,
evaluation and dissemination of SLM knowledge. The
standardised tools are developed jointly with partner
institutions and countries.

8. WOCAT- LADA tools
• https://www.wocat.net/
• http://www.fao.org/nr/lada/

9. Questionnaires on SWC technologies, approaches,
map
Documenting SLM knowledge

10. Automatically generated from the database!

11. SLM Technologies

12. Natural and human environment

13. economics

14. Impacts (on- / offsite)

15. 15
WOCAT Approaches Questionnaire: rights, legal, policy, …

16. 16
WOCAT Approaches Questionnaire: rights, legal, policy, …

17. Standardized methods and tools
WOCAT- LADA (Sub) National Assessment

18. LAND DEGRADATION AND
DESERTIFICATION
Land degradation and desert expansion

20. Degradation per LUS Conservation/SLM per LUS
Type Name / Group / Measure
Extent (area) Extent (area)
Degree Effectiveness
Rate Effectiveness trend
Impact on ecosystem
services (type and level)
Impact on ecosystem
services (type and level)
Direct causes
Indirect causes Degradation addressed
Recommendation
Land Use System (LUS)
Type
Area trend
Intensity trend
Source: WOCAT 2009 Questionnaire Mapping
Mapping Land Use, Degradation Conservation/SLM

21. Land degradation is a serious problem that crosses national borders, ecological zones
and socio-economic levels.
Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands
(LADA), assesses:
the causes and impacts of land degradation at
global, national and local levels
in order to detect hot spots and identify remedial
measures.
LADA approaches land degradation as a
biophysical, social, economic and
environmental issue
that must be dealt with through a combination
of geo-informational, scientific and local
knowledge tools

22. LADA- WOCAT tool for mapping LD
• has evolved from the piloting, the analytical & process
oriented
• the tool to provide geo-referenced information, and that it
can be used at
• good for providing information on land use systems which
are mostly based on expert knowledge, and sample sites
conditions ;
• the development of manuals, guidelines and the
establishment
• New database, (software and website
(www.fao.org/nr/lada ).

24. WOCAT-LADAmapping tool and SLM Dissemination
• National maps of degradation and conservation (e.g. Senegal)

25. information is collected
& evaluated by land users
with technical specialists

26. 26

27. 27

28. 28

29. Land degradation in the region in
potential agricultural land
FAORNE activities of WOCAT- LADA
tools application

30. Yemen

31. 31
West Bank

32. 32

33. Land degradation and rehabilitation, Yemen

34. THE NEAR EAST WOCAT- LADA NETWORK
(RNECAT) ESTABLISHING MEETING –

35. Technical peopleTrained on WOCAT-LADAtools
Venue Countries participated Trainees
Amman, December
2011
6 33
Lebanon , June 2012 7 30
Egypt, November 2012 12 25
Yemen, March 2013 1 23
111

36. Training, Yemen

37. WOCAT –LADA tools training (Yemen field practical)

38. WOCAT LADA training workshops (Cairo,
Yemen and West Bank)

39. • Promoting the WOCAT LADA
tools for SLM knowledge
management and exchange of
experience among countries in
the region
• Documenting good practices in
land management and tenure for
up scaling SLM
• Training on SLM - KM and
dissemination of knowledge

41. Bench terraces for perennial cropping
Yemen – ‫باألحجار‬ ‫المغطاه‬ ‫المدرجات‬
Building terraces in steep areas for the purpose of reducing the slope,
water harvesting and soil moisture conservation.
Cutting and collecting stones for the construction of terraces on steep slopes of the
mountains, structural measure to reduce the length and angle of the slope and the
speed of runoff. This makes it easier to harvest water and reserving deposits. A wall
terraces is built of stones where the height of a wall should be increased height of
1.8 -
3 m, a width of 1.5 - 4.3 m and the length from 8 - 14 m to keep the accumulated
deposits. The cutting stones are brought from distant places for the purpose of
building the walls. These terraces are similar to mountain terraces but the top soil
surface can be covered with stones to protect it from heavy rain storms and prevent
sheet erosion that results from raindrops hitting the bare top soil surface. The stone
layer, also prevents evaporation and maintains soil moisture. The stones are
arranged in a layer of about 0.25 – 0.7 m thickness over the entire surface of the soil
except where to put the coffee trees with an average diameter of 1 m. It is difficult to
use equipment in the process of building the terraces due to severe slopes.
Therefore it is a labor intensive process of manually building terraces. Due to the
slow process of construction it requires a lot of time. However, building terraces on
steep slopes can lead to increased erosion in the absence of well maintaining
outlets that allow draining the excess water from one terrace to another, avoiding
breaking of terraces' walls. In any case, terraces need regular maintenance to
ensure the sustainability of this technology. The landscape of the region is
mountainous, bench terraces which are used for crop production exist in slopes
exceeding 60%. The texture of the soil is silty loam and the depth of the terraces is
moderate to deep. Due to small holdings and steepness of the terraces, the local
left: Agricultural contour terraces
next the upper catchment area
right: Agricultural terraces in the
middle of the catchment area

42. Yemen

44. New country documentation using the tools
Soil salinity problem in Oman
and the measures to mitigate
the problem to improve food
production has been
conducted. Interventions are
proposed and submitted for
the SNG and FAO-Oman to
be submitted to the
government
1. Salt Affected lands
2. Salt affected but managed
well

45. Practical training in the field on tool application

46. practical training in the field on tool application

47. Introducing WOCAT LADA in the WB

48. Documenting SLM practices
 Training on the tools: for sharing knowledge and
decision support for
 Use for Monitoring land management practices
 Mapping of degradation and conservation (SLM)
(LADA-WOCAT)
 Adopt tools to RNE – user friendly (Arabic
version)
 Training in the countries and region
 national and regional focal points.
 Undertake national / regional inventories of GP
 Evaluations, analyses and promotion of GP
 Develop guidelines (national / regional)

49. 3. Documentation of good practices (Yemen)
•
• 4 technologies and 2
approaches have been
documented
• Introduction to WOCAT-
LADA tool was given on
a workshop organized in
Algeria
• 2 Technologies and 2
approaches have been
screened for scaling up
SLM
• WOCAT-LADA QTs and
QAs translated to Arabic
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for the Near East (FAORNE)
Documentation of Best Practices in Sustainable Land Management Using
Technologies and Approaches Tools for Selected Areas in Yemen
Final Draft Report
By:
Ahmed .A. Algalal
Soil Surveyor
Renewable Natural Research Resources Center (RNRRC)
Agricultural Research and Extension Authority
Dhamar, The Republic of Yemen
October 2013

50. Documentation of good practices (Oman)

51. 51
West Bank & Gaza

52. 52

53. 53

54. 54

55. 1st day
Field day
3rd day
55
Initial workshop

56. LM practices for / under documentation
in the Region

57. The Falaj (Daris) irrigation in Oman

58. Falaj irrigated
date palms

59. Good land management in salt affected
lands (Oman)

60. Salt affected and managed lands

61. Land management in WB

62. Land degradation in the WB

63. Road stabilization

64. Terraces for rainwater / runoff harvesting in Yemen

65. Conclusion and recommendations
• The WOCAT-LADA tools help in implementing
NAPs through identifying best practices /
approaches and technologies
• Provide information for informed decision at local
and national policy levels
• Networking in WOCAT-LADA will allow access to a
wealth of information (national, regional and
international)
• UNCCD accepted these tools to serve

66. please visit
https://www.wocat.net/
www.fao.org/nr/lada

67. 67