Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses three aspects of development projects to combat desertification: 1) their perceptions of desertification and its causes, 2) the measures to combat desertification and their outcome, 3) the changes over time.

Paper long abstract:

Namibia is one of the driest countries in the world and drought events and intensity increased in the last decades and will increase in the future. Climate conditions and various socio-economic and structural factors have led to rangeland degradation in different parts of the country, especially in the communal areas. Here, a large part of the population depend on subsistence livestock farming to make a living. Therefore, rangeland degradation in these territories constitute a significant risk not only to biodiversity, but also to livelihoods. Against this background, five different development projects to combat desertification (SARDEP, NAPCOD, DMP, CPP, LDN) were implemented successively from 1991 until 2018 in the communal farming areas of the Waterberg region mainly under the umbrella of UNCCD. These development projects are important platforms to bring together international treaties (UNCCD), international cooperation and UN agencies, Namibian ministries, extension services, consulting firms, NGOs and local communal farmers. The aim of this paper is to analyse three aspects, firstly, the projects’ perceptions of desertification and its causes, secondly, the projects’ measures to combat desertification and their outcome, and thirdly the changes over time. Project measures address monitoring, trainings, practices, and policies on the local, but also on the national level. We analyse project reports and interviews with key informants from the mentioned projects with Qualitative Content Analysis. The identified local and national measures can inform future scenarios to adapt to climate change in Namibia and drylands in other Sub-Sahara African countries.