The
main objective of the project is to re-establish the productive capacity
of the Badia rangeland resources. It will develop a replicable participatory
methodology for sustainable natural resource conservation and management,
and implement a programme of physical development covering rangeland rehabilitation
and infrastructure development.
Project components were to include:
- rangeland development: rehabilitating native plant cover and introducing management techniques;
- livestock development: breeding, management, health and product processing;
- rural infrastructure: development of water supplies and rural access roads; and
- community development: establishment of participatory institutions and programmes specifically designed to improve both literacy levels and the socio-economic status of women.
Soon after start-up, the project area was hit by the worst drought since 1959. This has had a devastating effect on rangeland vegetation, significantly increased sheep mortality, seriously affected household incomes and exposed a large proportion of the Badia population to food shortages. The herders have suffered a sharp drop in income and are rapidly liquidating their assets, but they have limited coping strategies such as alternative employment opportunities. The drought has delayed overall project implementation.
Access to inputs and infrastructure
| The quality
of water poses problems for the development of supplies in Badia.
Water from deep, sub-surface aquifers is usually unfit for consumption
because of its high mineral content, including sulphurous compounds
and biological contamination. The only safe water available is
drawn from shallow sub-surface resources, which are highly seasonal
and dry up before the end of the summer.
Road development in Badia has been slow. Most recent road construction appears to have occurred in relation to oil development. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Develop rural infrastructure by means of:
|
Construction works
are under way on the headquarters of support units, veterinary
centres, machinery workshops and multi-purpose stores.
Road construction (239 km) contracts are in the process of being approved. A contract has been signed for the preparation of hydro-geophysical studies on 13 well sites. Rehabilitation of 50 Roman wells in the Governorates of Homs, Hama and Al-Rakka is under way. Technical specifications have been prepared and tenders have been issued for machinery, equipment and means of transportation. |
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| No data
are available on educational achievements in the project area.
However, there is evidence of widespread illiteracy among the
Bedouin population, especially women. This is mainly the result
of their semi-nomadic lifestyle; low population density makes
the provision of services, such as education, expensive. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
|
| Encourage community
development, including the establishment of institutional arrangements
for implementing a fully participatory approach and programmes
specifically designed to improve educational levels (literacy)
and the socio-economic status of women. |
Eleven seminars
have been organized in various parts of the project area, as
well as six field tours in cooperation with livestock breeders
and three designed specifically for women beneficiaries. Four
internal field tours related to rangelands and livestock production
have also been organized. Three extension workshops on different
subjects related to desertification and the steppes have
been organized. |
|
| A current
major problem relates to the shortage of feed at the end of
the autumn and the onset of winter. During this period of the
year, there is almost no forage output from the rangelands.
The increasing degradation of rangelands owing to a combination
of overuse and inappropriate policies has drastically diminished
the land’s contribution to feeding the sheep flocks and
hence the Bedouins’ well being. The situation has further
deteriorated since the recent total ban on barley cropping in
rangelands.
However, much of the rangeland still has significant regeneration potential and would respond well to simple technologies such as resting and reseeding. |
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| Planned |
Achieved
|
|
| Develop
the rangeland through rehabilitation of the native plant cover
and introduction of management technologies. Activities should
include reseeding of shrubs, pasture establishment, fodder shrub
planting and short-term rangeland resting. |
The
collection of pastoral seeds from preserved areas in various
project locations is continuing. Nine tons of pastoral seeds
(from Al-Rughal and Al-Rawtha) have already been collected.
Lines for an area of 1 500 ha have been opened and pastoral plantation activities have commenced in these areas. The Wadi Abyad Dam Centre for the production of pastoral seeds over an area of 400 ha has been set up and planting work is being initiated. Information tours with regard to rangelands have been undertaken in a number of North-African countries, with the participation of three employees and four heads of society. A one-month course on rangelands was held in Morocco with the participation of ten staff members. Two 21-day courses on management methods were held in Egypt, with the participation of nine staff of the project. |
|
| Livestock
production is the key to sustainable development in the dry
and semi-arid Badia zones. Mixed livestock/farming systems contribute
to household food security and income generation. The sharp
drop in rangeland productivity has increased reliance on crop
residues, fallow grazing and supplementary feeding. |
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| Planned
|
Achieved
|
|
| Improve livestock
productivity per animal unit through improved use of existing
feed resources. |
This activity is
ongoing, but no information is yet available. |
|
| Limited productivity per animal unit in the dry and semi-arid zones is attributed, among other things, to the genetic makeup of the animals. However, local breeds have adapted to the harsh ecosystems and severe fluctuations in the dry and semi-dry zones, and have the potential for improvement. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Apply, through training and extension, technical packages developed by the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), including improved herd management, feeding and veterinary services. Improve livestock productivity per animal unit through the genetic improvement of Awassi sheep. Distribute 1 500 Awassi rams over a six-year period. Train MAAR and sheep owners/herdsmen in techniques for better use of rams for breeding and selection. Update the sheep breeding experimental laboratory at Marj El Karim. |
Eight one-week seminars were organized in cooperation with ACSAD on livestock production development. All livestock production staff in the Governorates attended a three-day workshop on livestock production. Ten beneficiaries attended a field day on livestock production. Technical specifications for the laboratory equipment at the Al-Karim centre have been prepared and publicized and laboratory equipment has been provided for the centre. Technical specifications have been prepared for eight cheese-processing units. |
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| Planned |
Achieved |
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| Build and equip eight veterinary centres Rehabilitate 12 existing sheep dipping units in the project area. Purchase eight mobile veterinary service units and eight mobile dipping units. |
This activity is ongoing, but no data are available as yet. |
Drought contingency plans should be included in the initial project design.
