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After UNCED (United Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, July 1992), a second edition of Desertification was necessary. About 150 corrections, amendments and additions take scientific progress into account. The author also presents an updated chapter in which the results of UNCED are analyzed.
This book aims at an understanding of what is commonly called "desertification" - a term which is proposed to be replaced by "land degradation". Each level of technology, excessive or insufficient, creates its own mismanagement. This is reflected in an increase in land degradation and eventually a decrease in soil productivity. The benefit to the reader is an awareness of the ecozones and a global overview of the phenomena, mechanisms and existing solutions. ... Read more

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This book contains a selection of papers presented at the Advanced Research Workshop on ‘The Socio-economic causes and consequences of desertification in Central Asia’ held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in June 2006. The meeting provided a forum for scientists from Central Asia and NATO countries to discuss the human dimensions of the desertification process. Papers presented to the meeting examined recent scientific evidence on the impact of desertification and contributed to the formulation of coherent national and regional policies for the management of watersheds, rangelands, and irrigated agriculture. These issues were examined from the perspective of environmental policy formulation, with respect to overgrazing by livestock, and in terms of a series of case studies of natural resource degradation and desertification control.

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With reference to Rajasthan, India. ... Read more

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Since 1962 the Desert Institute of the former Academy of Science of the USSR has been conducting research work in the arid and semi-arid zones of central Asia. This outstanding experience in desert and desertification problems, and the possibilities of sustainable land use under difficult environmental conditions is summarized here. The book also gives an overview of the Institute's consulting work within the framework of international projects. This is the first publication allowing readers outside the Russian-speaking world to obtain concise information about the specific constraints and development possibilities of central Asian drylands. ... Read more

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Desertification affects 70 per cent of all arable lands on the planet in more than 100 countries. Inextricably linked to poverty, it is estimated that the livelihood of 250 million people are directly affected while another billion living in rural drylands are threatened by this phenomenon. This volume examines the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) signed in 1994. It studies the linkages between land degradation and poverty, the role of civil society and good governance in implementing the UNCCD and the various approaches to fighting desertification. Furthermore, this volume assesses the National Action Programmes, development planning and new avenues for strengthening implementation. Synthesising the main strengths and weaknesses of the UNCCD as a tool for environmental and developmental governance, this candid and informative volume highlights the main challenges facing the UNCCD in the future. ... Read more

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This book is the outcome of an international workshop promoted and organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and by the Science for Peace and Security Programme of NATO. Its focus is the emerging issue of environment and security aspects in terms of water scarcity, land degradation and desertification in the Mediterranean Region. This region has been identified as one of the most vulnerable areas with respect to environmental security threats. Conversely, due to its climatic and topographic features, the cross-boundary dimension of the Mediterranean Basin, and its mix of cultural, political and economic diversity, the region also represents an area that poses the potential for social and political instability.

The Euro-Mediterranean Region is affected by frequent severe environmental events, such as forest fires, floods and landslides, droughts, torrential rains, heat waves and water scarcity. The Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean undergo even more harsh environmental impacts affecting the availability of water resources and the soil quality & productivity. These environmental conditions contribute to the development of negative processes, like social marginalization, conflicts and migrations The book includes scientific analysis and evaluation on these topics, together with the views of policy makers. The outputs of the discussions and recommendations of four Working Groups are provided as summaries of the dialogue and the exchange of ideas between experts and representatives from the affected countries and the international organizations competent in the matter.

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The world’s leading expert on reversing soil desertification shows how ecology can flourish only when spiritual elements are present

• Uses a parable from the African oral tradition to provide a living testimony of what has been lost with the rise of modern technology

• Provides a vital account of the strong relationship between soil and soul and how this relationship can be restored

As in the Heart, So in the Earth is a strong indictment of a civilization that, while seeking domination over the earth, mutilates, tortures, and desacralizes it. For Pierre Rabhi ecology is inseparable from spirituality. He shows how the growing desertification of North Africa is a reflection of the “desert” that is claiming the hearts and souls of the inhabitants of the Western world--how dead soil is mirrored in our deadened souls--and how reconciliation with Mother Earth must be accompanied by relearning our ancestors’ reverence for the soil.

Using a traditional African parable grounded in the very wisdom of the earth, Pierre Rabhi seeks to initiate the reader into a time when the people that dwelled on this planet did so harmoniously and could converse easily with the land. Village elder Tyemoro recounts the gradual destruction of his village’s culture and all that has sustained it as the miracles promised by modern technology brought more harm than good. This same drama is recurring throughout the world, where indigenous value systems that have endured for millennia are torn apart by contact with modern civilization. Yet Rahbi offers hope--if those in the modern world will stop to hear the words of their ancestors who worked the land, for our destiny is linked irrevocably to that of the earth.
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Customer Reviews (3)

Lotus Guide magazine
As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil
By Pierre Rabhi ISBN 1-59477-081-6 (Inner Traditions, 2006)

From the moment we were told that we were to have dominion over the Earth, we have done nothing but destroy it. Pierre Rabhi superbly shows how this is also mirrored in our souls. With all the promises made by Western society, we have yet to see a positive result when displacing indigenous cultures that have survived for millennia in harmony with Mother Earth.

Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide magazine
To Believe Or Not To Believe: The Social and Neurological Consequences of Belief Systems

A powerful parable
Pierre Rabhi joins the ranks of great agro-ecologists such as Vandana Shiva, Wendell Barry, or Mansanobu Fukuoka. As an American journalist said on hearing of Rabhi, "An Arab ecologist? Thank God there's at least one!"

In this book, Rabhi tries a fictionalized approach, spinning a folk tale of modern Africa. Perhaps this will catch the world's imagination better than presentations of scientific evidence or documentation of alternative farming projects. A short quote illustrates the obvious dream:

"The village of Mafi fully deserved its reputation. Staring at this swath of greenery and life in the midst of a desert environment, I reflected how little we measure the miracles that can arise from generous intelligence and constructive will. Not only did this green island emanate a palpable sense of well-being, it ennobled the arid country around it. Much of its landscaping followed the principles of antierosion, and many young trees now grew there. This place was a message of hope carved in the very flesh of death. Now I understood better what was meant by the sickness of the earth and how it is possible for humans to transform themselves from destructive parasites to healers." (p. 127)

-author of The Gardens of Their Dreams

Leads readers to ideas of planetary harmony and connections with the land
Pierre Rabhi's As In The Heart, So In The Earth: Reversing The Desertification Of The Soul And The Soil blends ecology with spirituality, explaining how the growing desertification of North Africa reflects the desolation claiming the hearts and souls of the Western world and how dead soil mirrors dead souls. A traditional African parable leads readers to ideas of planetary harmony and connections with the land, and comes from Rabhi's southern Algeria roots and involvement in agri-ecology with many world organizations. ... Read more

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This book embodies the results of thirteen years of research in drought-prone rural areas in the semi-arid zone of northern Nigeria. It describes the patterns of adaptive behaviour observed among Hausa, Ful'be and Manga communities in response to recurrent drought in the 1970s and 1980s. The question of desertification is explored in an area where the visible evidence of moving sand dunes is dramatic blame are examined in relation to the field evidence. A critique is offered of deterministic theories and authoritarian solutions. Professor Mortimore demonstrates a parallel between the observable resilience of semi-arid ecosystems and the adaptive strategies of the human communities that inhabit them and suggests policy directions for strengthening that resilience. ... Read more

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Land Degradation and Desertification: Assessment, Mitigation, and Remediation reports research results in sustainable land management and land degradation status and mitigation in 36 countries around the world. It includes background papers with continental and international perspectives dealing with land degradation and desertification studies. The book assembles various topics of interest for a large audience. They include carbon sequestration and stocks, modern techniques to trace the trends of land degradation, traditional and modern approaches of resource-base conservation, soil fertility management, reforestation, rangeland rehabilitation, land use planning, GIS techniques in desertification risk cartography, participatory ecosystem management, policy analyses and possible plans for action. Various climatic domains in Africa, Asia, Europe and The Americas are covered.The book will be of interest to a variety of environmental scientists, agronomists, national and international policy makers and a number of organizations dealing with sustainable management of natural resources. ... Read more

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Proposes a comprehensive conceptualization of policy integration and negotiates pertinent theoretical, methodological and applied issues from the persepective of selected EU policies. ... Read more

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Desertification has re-emerged as a topic of globalsignificance as a consequence of the United Nations Conference onEnvironment and Development. When first addressed over a generationago, attention was drawn to the compelling, spectacular images of sanddunes engulfing farmlands and parched cattle dying around wells.Research tended to focus on these events as unusual phenomena thatinvolved the unfortunate collision of climate and `irrational' landuse. Since then, the work of many researchers has shown us thatdesertification is a multifaceted problem that involves climatic,biogeochemical, political, and socio-economic processes that operatemore or less continuously but at rates that vary in time and space. Noattempts to arrest or reverse desertification that ignore thiscomplexity are likely to succeed. In a single volume, `Desertificationin Developed Countries' describes the multiple dimensions ofdesertification as well as the novel approaches that have been used toaddress it within the economies of developed countries. This is donefrom the perspectives and experiences of the numerous authors who havecontributed to this book. ... Read more