Desertification Control Project in São João Baptista Valley

In the São João Baptista valley, west of the capital, on the Island of Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands;
Covers 50 sq. km. The area lies in the rain shadow of central volcanic mountains and involves a population of about 2,500 people in eight different localities.

The problems

Physical:

Socio-economic:

Too little moisture for rainfed cultivation;
Insufficient flat land for year-round irrigated production;
Inadequate irrigation systems;
Overgrazing and inadequate forage in relation to vegetative resources;
Inadequate wood resources;
High population growth (2.5 per cent annually) so that resources are inadequate even for basic subsistence;
Poor marketing and credit facilities;
No public infrastructure, few services and ineffective local public administration;
Poverty and dependency on remittances and work outside the valley;
Migration means that many households are headed by women - but these have far less possibility of access to irrigated land.

The solutions

Implementation of an integrated river basin management approach;
Successful application of flood and erosion control measures from catchment head to valley bottom areas;
Use of multi-purpose measures to control erosion and also create more cultivable areas;
Increase ground water, recharge and improve soil moisture retention;
Integration of erosion control and water conservation measures with reforestation on plateau areas and slopes;
Imposition by national forest service of a guardian system to protect reforested areas against overgrazing and indiscriminate felling;
Progressively greater involvement of local residents in setting project priorities once primary control measures were in place;
Implementation of community goals for socio-economicdevelopment;
Establishment of local organizations to carry on and maintain project work.

The project achievements

Flood and erosion control measures successfully reduced related hazards;
Increased water availability from groundwater and soil moisture;
Greater area of flat land available for cultivation;
Increased fuelwood and timber availability from over 900 hectares of reforestation;
Increased fodder supplies;
Community - inspired establishment of irrigation associations for joint activities and irrigation control and an agricultural producers cooperative for purchasing and marketing;
Improved irrigation and domestic water supplies to over 300 households;
Community involvement in establishing priorities and carrying out voluntary activities;
Improved infrastructure;
Increased incomes from fodder sales, vegetables and other surplus crops.

The overall achievements

Successful implementation of the integrated river basin approach forms a model for replication;
Methods of flood and erosion control also constitute a reliable model;
Approach of working from headwaters progressively downstream accepted nationally;
The São João Baptista Valley project has demonstrated that a holistic approach combining bio-physical, socio-economic and participatory objectives is not only feasible but achievable and produces significant successes across all three areas.

This project was implemented by UNDP/UNSO and local communities with funds from the Norwegian Government.

Success Stories: Africa