No. 42, Fall/Winter 1997
Urban Agriculture in Drylands
annotated by Heather Severson
India establishes National Arid Zone Information Center and Environmental Information System on DesertificationThe Indian Council of Agricultural Research has approved the establishment of the National Arid Zone Information Center (NARZIC), at the Dr. Raheja Library, Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India. The primary objective of the center is to provide information support to scientists engaged in field and farm research, and to disseminate information to farmers for overall development of arid zone agriculture. NARZIC will create databases on all aspects of Arid Zone research and will be linked with various national and international networking systems. In addition, the Library will feature a new Environmental Information System on Desertification (ENVIS), approved by the Government of India's Ministry of Environment and Forest. The primary object of ENVIS is to store and disseminate all information pertaining to the Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, to users within and outside the country.
CAZRI is also making efforts to collaborate with other similar centers to provide information to INFOTERRA. The center presently provides computerized information services, SDI services, and full text services to its users. For more information, contact: I/C Library Central Arid Zone Research Institute Jodhpur Rajasthan 342 003 India Calls for papersPlant-based solutions for combating desertificationThe International Program for Arid Lands Crops (IPALAC) will host this International Conference in Beer Sheva, Israel, November 2-5, 1998. The wise use of plant germplasm that is either native or adaptable to semi-arid/arid lands can contribute to the halt of desertification and sustainable development of such lands. The purpose of this conference is to provide a forum whereby scientists/researchers, development workers/agencies or others who have used plants in income generating or environmental projects in semi-arid /arid regions can share their experiences. For more information, contact: International Program for Arid Lands Crops c/o Ben-Gurion University of the Negev P.O.B. 653 Beer Sheva, Israel 84105 Tel: +972 (7) 646-1905 or 646-1972 Fax: +972 (7) 647 2984 email: ipalac@bgumail.bgu.ac.il Agriculture, land degradation, and desertification This is the theme of the Sixth International Meeting of the International Geographical Union's Commission on Land Degradation and Desertification (COMLAND), to be held at The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, September 20-28, 1999. Papers are invited on any aspect of the theme. Those which provide case studies of successful solutions are particularly welcome. For more information, contact: Department of Geography University of Western Australia Nedlands, WA 6907 Australia Tel: +61 (8) 9380-2705 Fax: +61 (8) 9380-1054 Email: ajconach@gis.uwa.edu.au Success stories in land degradation and desertification control in drylands UNEP announces a continuous call for submission of success stories in land degradation and desertification control in drylands for the "Saving the Drylands" Award. A success story is an activity that directly and substantially contributes to the prevention of dryland degradation or to the reclamation of degraded land, using appropriate resources in a cost-effective manner. It is one that addresses not only the biophysical but also the socio-cultural-economic issues in all its developmental stages, thus ensuring long-term sustainability. Submission of success stories is a continuous process with no deadlines; however, submissions must be received at least six months in advance to be considered for the award in the same year. For more information, contact: Coordinator, Success Story Initiative UNEP, DEDC/PAC P.O. Box 30052 Nairobi Phone: 254-2-623261 Fax: 254-2-623284 email: elizabeth.migongo-bake@unep.org |
About the Arid Lands Newsletter