UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference
Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and
resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
9 - 12 April 2013 - Bonn, Germany
SESSION REPORT
Session Title: Toward an analytical framework to assess the value of action and inaction against land
degradation: new insights, and policy challenges
Name: Special session organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Speakers: De Pinto Alessandro, Gerber Nicolas, Nkonya Ephraim and Mirzabaev Alisher
Summary (Max. 400 words): Your comments will be very much appreciated and will be used for the outcome
report to be presented during the closing session on Friday. Please provide a short summary of the main
findings of the session from the following three perspectives:
1) Scientific perspective (research needs and opportunities, etc.)
The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) project brings together the Center for Development
Research (ZEF) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in an open partnership with
international scientists and aims at providing a comprehensive and standard framework for a global
ELD assessment. As an initial step, a methodological and empirical master framework for local specific
ELD assessments is proposed, together with a clear sampling framework for case studies selection. We
propose a template for data collection and a trio of methodological approaches, from core methods
applicable across all case studies to more sophisticated methods more appropriate to data-rich
environments. Data collection, consistency in the methods used to gather data, and data accuracy is
not only essential for local and country level analyses but also to obtain reliable results from models
that capture current and future land degradation at the global level. The session demonstrated the
importance of the methodological framework proposed to address land degradation issues at multiple
scales.
2) Action perspective (SLM approaches, resilience projects, etc.)
Climate change may exacerbate existing land degradation challenges. Most SLM practices can also
serve as no–regret adaptation options under climate change. Wider applications of SLM practices can
potentially yield multiple benefits spanning from mitigating land degradation, to adapting to climate
change, to improving livelihoods. Efforts should be made to strengthen the adoption of SLM
technologies through information dissemination, farmer trainings, improved access to markets and
credit and more secure land tenure.
3) Policy perspective (integrated resilience strategies, economic incentives and financing, etc.)
A global ELD assessment is necessary to map where land degradation, current and future, matters the
most to humans. Such assessment will help policymakers allocate scarce financial resources. The
special session clearly highlighted that such policies must account for the following factors:
 climate change and its local and global impact on natural resources and food security,
 total economic value of land (including non-use values stemming from traditions and culture),
 success stories available in several developing regions despite high prevalence of poverty,
 reasons behind adoption or non-adoption of SLM practices (risk attitudes, institutional and
knowledge barriers, etc.)
The session summaries should be submitted until Thursday, 11 April 18.00 via email to
2sc.unccd@grforum.org.
UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference
Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and
resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas
9 - 12 April 2013 - Bonn, Germany