The resilience of rural communities in the face of water shortages

Science at work 20 August 2024
In Brazil and Tunisia, people in semi-arid zones are adapting to worsening water shortages by means of individual and collective innovations. To mark World day to Combat Desertification and Drought in June, CIRAD published a series of images of just some of the thousands of ways such communities are adapting and building a path between resilience and solidarity.
The Rihana wadi in Tunisia is an intermittent watercourse that does not always contain water. It fills rapidly in the event of heavy winter rains © H. Gasmi, CIRAD

The Rihana wadi in Tunisia is an intermittent watercourse that does not always contain water. It fills rapidly in the event of heavy winter rains © H. Gasmi, CIRAD

 

This work was done as part of two projects in partnership:

  • in Nordeste, Brazil, the Sertões project is working to identify the resilient development pathways taken by rural communities in response to climate change.

Sustainability and resilience of water supplies and land in Nordeste

The SERTÕES project intends to support decision making and public agricultural and water policymaking, taking account of energy and environmental issues. The aim is to define sustainable development pathways that encompass the need to reduce carbon footprints against a backdrop of climate change.

  • In Tunisia, the PACTE project has embarked upon a territory-based participatory diagnosis of water resource management.

See also