Integrated Water and Resource Management by the Implementation of improved Agro-Forestry concepts in Latin American drylands

About one-quarter of Latin America is covered by drylands, including the Pacific coast, the dry plains of the Andes, the arid region extending from the Grand Chaco to Patagonia and the dry areas of Mesoamerica. Desertification is the most challenging environmental problem in these areas. Resulting from the non-sustainable use of natural resources, desertification leads to productivity reduction in agriculture and depletion of ecosystems, thus increasing the poverty of the inhabitants and endangering biodiversity. An integrated approach to combat further degradation of land and to eradicate poverty in dry areas of Latin America through sustainable resource management is needed. Bringing together agroforestry strategies with an Integrated Water and Resource Management is a promising solution in order to enhance the sustainable development of arid and semiarid areas in Latin America. This Diploma thesis was realized within the scope of the project "Integrated Water resource management by the implementation of improved Agro-Forestry concepts in arid and semi-arid areas in Latin America (WAFLA)", supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Program. The Bremerhaven Technology-Transfer-Centre, the general management organization of the WAFLA project, provides scientic assistance. The general objective of this diploma thesis is to investigate the contributions of agroforestry systems to Integrated Water and Resources Development and Management in arid, semi-arid and seasonally dry sub-humid regions of Latin America. The thesis discusses the problems of land degradation in Latin American drylands and the possible solutions to them that agroforestry systems provide. Two agroforestry systems, identified as "best practices", are assessed in more detail. The hydrological functions and possible impacts of agroforestry systems on watershed scale are emphasized. Finally, a methodology for the assessment of these hydrological functions of agroforestry systems, using hydrological models is introduced and discussed