Looking after our land : new approaches to soil and water conservation in dryland Africa

The video consists of four films. They all are about soil and water conservation. The first film explores the reasons for the past failures of most soil and water conservation projects in East and West Africa. The second film has two case studies, the Agroforestry Project (PAF) in the Yatenga province and the PATECORE project in the Bam province, Burkina Faso. In the Yatenga province water harvesting by stone bunding and the village land-use management are being practised to improve productivity, to store rainwater from runoff, and to reduce erosion. The PATECORE project utilizes the permeable rock dams. In the Machakos district in Kenya the main activity in soil and water conservation is 'Fanya-juu' terracing. The objective is to retain rainfall where it falls and to prevent soil erosion. The Lokitaung Pastoral Development Project in the Turkana district in Kenya uses water harvesting bunds for soil and water conservation. In the Dogon plateau in Mali to reduce rain runoff and to reduce erosion the following methods are used: hillside terraces, stone lines, stone bunds, earth mounds, earth basins, planting pits and trash lines. The objective of the Project Lutte Anti-Erosive (PLAE) in the Koutiala district is to halt land degradation and to improve conditions for crop production. Activities and techniques that are in use are: earth bunds, grass strips, check dams of stone or branches, and tree planting.