Project document

ANNEX V.2 SLM BEST PRACTICES IN THE ASD, BENEFITS, FIELD SITES, ACTIVITIES, COSTS AND REPLICATION.

SLM Best Practices in the ASD
1. There is a wide range of possible best practices of sustainable land management (SLM) by small and large-scale farmers with potential for reduction of land degradation (LD) in the ASD. The practices are a subset of what is known in Brazil as "social technologies". Sustainability is understood to mean maintenance of interdependent ecosystem functions related to aquatic resources, biodiversity and carbon (ABC), in this case to avoid or reduce desertification and land degradation. When appropriate, traditional knowledge and lessons learned in other states or countries have been incorporated in the following list.
2. The SLM practices listed here are directly related to land conservation/restoration and sustainable use of natural resources (production and consumption of smallholder farmers), and represent few of all possibilities that exist in the country for dry and sub-humid regions. The items listed below represent the best practices (BPs) already recognized in Brazil, with up scaling potential. Other activities than can contribute to reduced desertification and land degradation but are beyond the scope of the project include processing and marketing in value chains, off-farm employment and social programs, among other. Viable small farms are an alternative to large properties with extensive monocultures and pastures, major causes of LD.
3. The SLM best practices in this list are grouped in items that address soil erosion control, improved water management, improved cultivation of crops and livestock management, sustainable forest management, use of native biodiversity, and general practices to promote efficiency and social inclusion. Many of the practices can be grouped under headings such as integrated multiple-use sustainable management, peri-domiciliary agroforestry and backyard production (quintais produtivos). In this way, the best practice categories or items are presented above: