Mission

Help Africa stop the degradation of its drylands, particularly its biodiversity, soils, and carbon stocks, by sharing sustainable practices and strengthening human capacities.

Strategy

The Desert Margins Program:

• Analyzes the root causes of dryland degradation in Africa;

• Documents indigenous knowledge of sustainable practices;

• Develops more sustainable practices;

• Helps governments design policies that encourage sustainable practices;

• Enhances African institutional capacities for land degradation research and outreach;

• Facilitates the sharing of technologies, knowledge and information; and

• Forecasts possible climate change scenarios for land use planning.

Focus on benchmarks

The area targeted by the Desert Margins Program (DMP) is vast and diverse, spanning the Sahel in the north, and the margins of the Kalahari Desert in the south. This is why the member countries have carefully identified representative benchmark locations for in-depth study. These locations are also hubs for training and to share and demonstrate best practices.