Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Fragile arid and semi-arid ecosystems are in urgent need of integrated conservation approaches to combat the widespread on-going land degradation and desertification. Desertification occurs because dryland ecosystems are vulnerable to over-exploitation and inappropriate land use. Poverty, political instability, deforestation, overgrazing and bad irrigation practices can all undermine the productivity of the land. One third of the worlds land area is directly affected by desertification, and about one billion people are at risk.