Our fight against desertification and land degradation requires a more comprehensive approach, strengthening resilience to all kinds of political, economic, social and ecological risks and instabilities.
Dealing with that complexity in a given spatial context calls for better knowledge, for better evidence. There is no need for rocket science. But a whole range of disciplines has to contribute. And they all should not just contribute individually, they should instead contribute jointly.
A “nexus perspective” is not just needed on political levels, it is also needed on academic levels. There are strong roles for development research, applied economics and social sciences, earth sciences, life sciences, environmental sciences – just to name a few. They all should contribute to better evidence that is needed for informed debate, for informed policy making, and for informed action on the ground.
–Stefan SCHMITZ; Head of division rural development and food security, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ
Blog of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 