Global Community

Dear All,

I am pleased to share my paper published in NHESS Journal (An evaluation of the alignment of drought policy and planning guidelines with the contemporary disaster risk reduction agenda, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2155–2178, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2155-2025, 2025)! You can freely download the paper at the journal website: https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/25/2155/2025/

This study evaluates 12 sets of drought policy and planning guidelines for their alignment with the four priority areas of the SENDAI framework. The guidelines do not align very well with the contemporary disaster risk reduction agenda. The study highlights strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and provides useful insights to develop the next generation of drought guidelines that are better aligned with contemporary science–policy–practice agendas.

Hopefully this work will contribute to supporting the accelerated transition towards improved drought risk reduction and management and building the resilience of societies and ecosystems to droughts under changing climate and increasing anthropogenic pressures.

I am happy to discuss this work if you have any questions or would like to collaborate.

Kind regards,
Ilyas Masih

Combating Desertification in Africa : Zainer’s Contribution to SDG 15 (Life on Land)

Zainer is a low-cost machine for climate resilient agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions.

The Zainer is a vertical soil drill, mounted on a two wheeled cart and powered by a small 5hp petrol engine. Excavated soil is deposited on the down-stream side of the Zaï pit to make sure that run-off water from the field is directed into the pit for local infiltration. The design of the Zainer has been optimized for fuel efficiency and drilling speed to minimize the operational costs for the farmer.
Operating the Zainer can be comfortably done by both female and male farmers. Depending on the soil conditions, farmers are able to produce up to 17 Zaï plantholes per minute and 1 ha of land can be prepared within 5 days (compared to 300 hours of labor for manual Zaï). The drill bit can easily be replaced and be adapted to different soil conditions and desired plant hole dimensions.
Due to climate change, rainfall patterns in Africa have become less predictable. As a result, African farmers are experiencing production losses for their main rainfed crops. This climate instability, combined with increasing land degradation linked to desertification, poses a serious risk to food security and family incomes, particularly for smallholder farmers.
Indigenous conservation and regenerative agriculture practices can largely mitigate these risks and help combat desertification, but farmers consider these traditional practices too labor-intensive and economically unviable.
Affordable mechanization of climate-smart agricultural practices can overcome these drawbacks. An organization called Practica has therefore initiated the development of a simple tool to quickly and inexpensively produce small basins or pits for local rainwater retention. This tool is called "Zaïner," in reference to the traditional West African practice of creating small planting holes, called Zaï.
This innovative tool aims to strengthen the resilience of soils and farmers in the face of desertification and climate change.

The man who stopped the desert : Yacouba Sawadogo

“For turning barren land into forest and demonstrating how farmers can regenerate their soil with innovative use of indigenous and local knowledge.”

Yacouba Sawadogo (1946-2023) was known as “the man who stopped the desert”. Starting around 1980 during a phase of severe drought, he successfully created an almost 40-hectare forest on formerly barren and abandoned land. Today, it has more than 60 species of trees and bushes and is arguably one of the most diverse forests planted and managed by a farmer in the Sahel.

Sawadogo’s remarkable success builds on experimenting with traditional planting pits for soil, water and biomass retention, called “zaï” in the local language. He continued innovating the technique over the years, increasing crop yields and successfully planting trees. Despite facing resistance from locals in the beginning – Sawadogo was called a “madman” and saw his forest set on fire – he never considered giving up. Over time, people came to admire his work.

Always eager to share his knowledge, Sawadogo trained thousands of visitors from the region and beyond, and empowered farmers to regenerate their land. As a result, tens of thousands of hectares of degraded land have been restored to productivity in Burkina Faso and Niger. Those who adopt Sawadogo’s techniques often become food secure, as zaï help to conserve rainwater and improve soil fertility. Trees planted together with the crops serve to enrich the soil, produce fodder for livestock and create business opportunities like beekeeping. This helps farmers adapt to climate change, reduce rural poverty and prevent local resource and water-related conflicts.

Dear CLP members,
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to be part of this diverse global community as a co-chair. I am looking forward to working with you to contribute towards our shared goals of addressing droughts, reversing desertification and building resilience against disasters across the globe.
In this message, let me briefly introduce myself. I am working as an Associate Professor of Water Resources planning at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft the Netherlands. My educational background is multi-disciplinary, with a PhD degree in hydrology and water resource, MPhil in Water Resources Management and BSc in Agricultural Engineering. I have about 25 years of professional experience on a wide range of hydrology, water management and disaster risk issues across several countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. I am deeply committed to contribute to address global water, land and drought related challenges. I am passionate to bridge the science-policy-practice gaps, and enjoy working with transdisciplinary actors from these arenas. I am actively participating in various drought and water management related networks including IAHS network on Drought in the Anthropocene and UN-Water SDG6 Capacity Development Initiative.

At DiTA network, I am coordinating a webinar series on bridging the science-policy-practice gap. Taking this opportunity, I warmly invite you to the upcoming webinar planned on 26th June (see flyer).

Looking forward to working with you to drive the positive change!
Yours sincerely,
Ilyas Masih

🌊 Building Resilience: Insights from Nebraska's Water Conference 🌊

Discover how Nebraska is introducing innovative water management strategies to combat drought and climate challenges. The recent Nebraska Water Conference brought together experts to discuss sustainable solutions, from advanced irrigation techniques to community-led watershed projects. Dive into the key takeaways and learn how these approaches can inspire change worldwide.

🔗 Read more: https://idralliance.global/solutions/takeaways-resilience-nebraska-wate…

Hello, I hope you are well.
It is a pleasure for me to share with you the half-moon technique, a traditional method of water and soil conservation widely used in Burkina Faso, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. It involves digging semicircular basins, generally 2 to 4 meters in diameter, with the open edge facing upslope. This technique captures and retains runoff water during the rainy season, promoting its infiltration into the soil and vegetation regeneration. It is particularly effective for restoring degraded land, combating erosion, and improving soil fertility. Used in agroforestry and agricultural fields, the half-moon plays a crucial role in helping rural communities adapt to climate change and promote sustainable agriculture in Burkina Faso.
Half-moon technique file:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_HGnrr8XtpmTZUewVbJFJHQMOO6v7kRE/view?…

Half-Moon technique video:

Hello everyone!
What a pleasure to be part of this inspiring community!
I'm Dieudonne Ilboudo, a water and environment specialist currently working at the General Office of Agropastoral Development and Irrigation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animals and Fisheries Resources of Burkina Faso.
My work focuses on sustainable water resource management, soil conservation, land reclamation, and environmental preservation. I have over four years of experience in community projects promoting climate change adaptation, integrated water resource management, and the development of rice-growing lowlands.
I recently led initiatives on the management of invasive aquatic plants, transforming them into valuable resources such as compost and biochar to support local agriculture and the circular economy. I am passionate about drought resilience (Zai and Half-Moon Techniques) and ethical, inclusive, and innovative approaches to natural resource governance, and I strive to integrate local knowledge and community participation into all aspects of my work.
I look forward to learning, collaborating, and contributing to this dynamic network !

I am pleased to share the summary of EOTEC DevNet’s first round of Regional Drought Working Group Meet-ups, held in April 2025. The sessions brought together experts from Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia–Oceania to exchange tools, experiences, and ideas for improving drought monitoring and resilience through Earth observation.
You can access the full summary, spotlight presentations, and meeting materials here: https://eotecdev.net/highlights-from-the-first-eotec-devnet-regional-dr…

As a next step, we invite you to contribute to the EOTEC DevNet Drought Tools Tracker—a living database of existing tools, initiatives, and training resources for drought monitoring and management. Your input will help strengthen coordination and improve access to practical solutions across regions. Submit your contribution here: https://eotecdev.net/eforms/drought-tools-tracker-contributor-form/20/

If you would like to stay involved or join the conversation, feel free to sign up for the Drought Working Group using this form: https://eotecdev.net/eforms/eotec-devnet-communications-regular-meeting…

We look forward to continuing collaboration in the next round of regional meet-ups in October.