Fjölrit RALA - 05.12.1999, Page 27

RODNEY GALLACHER
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The national coordination committee would be responsible for collecting and de-
scribing options for issues with the aim of drafting policies, to be pre-tested and re-
fined with representative land user groups.
If there is not an appropriate existing soil conservation or environmental network in
the area, then the WOCAT global network may have suitable rangeland case studies
and suggestions (Box 4). However, basic information is still needed on what has suc-
ceeded in the past, as well as what is known to have failed and the reasons for failure.
This has become the global mandate of WOCAT in soil and water conservation mat-
ters for farm, forest and range and is presently being expanded at national level in
certain cases with FAO assistance.
WOCAT is not only collecting technology success stories. The WOCAT definition
of soil and water conservation approach is “the ways and means to implement a soil
and water conservation technology on the ground”. WOCAT is collecting information
on implementation procedures followed by institutes. The intention is to provide mul-
tipie choices and patterns of analyses to planners in order to present the end users with
examples to adapt to their specific conditions. Note that the emphasis is not on finding
a technology which “fits”, but rather on examining problems already encountered and
partly resolved by others, whether policy, economic, social or other. Then discussing
options with the target groups.
An excellent model for implementation is the Landcare movement in Australia and
New Zealand as described earlier. Many of the active groups, having solved the initial
problem, then looked around for other local problems to address.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Gathering knowledge and making it useful is becoming easier as the respondent now
has the opportunity to look at outputs “online” to better grasp the significance of data
being collected from around the globe. As well as asking questions via Intemet, the
subject matter specialist can participate in a real sense by reporting successes in the
WOCAT format. The global stmcture is mostly in place.
Valuable material is available and can be assembled for decision-makers and those
concemed with monitoring and evaluation. Technicians and land users can participate
to the extent that they become partners and owners of the successes.
Multiple choice paths can be followed to resolve difficulties. One possible entry
point is through WOCAT questionnaires “online” or in paper version. WOCAT can
provide case studies and maps of degradation and counter-measures used, which can
help for the National Action Plan under the Convention to Combat Desertification.
This can also provide an opening to adoption of the ISCRAL íramework (FAO 1990).
FAO can provide many examples of frameworks and tools in use for participatory
exercises. Vertical and horizontal participation has become a reality in the problem
identification and process for selecting options as well as participatory monitoring. It
can also be shown to lead to success with community efforts in soil conservation.
REFERENCES
Alexander, H. 1995. The state of the community Landcare movement in Australia: The National
Landcare Facilitator Project Annual Report. National Landcare Program, Canberra.