Natural Resource Conservation, Use and Sustainability in Drylands

This keynote address of the conference on Natural Resource Conservation Use and Sustainability in Drylands, focuses mainly on some new concepts of resource assessments in dry areas, some recent debates on organizational ideas on communities and their institutions; larger issues to place the importance of this work in perspective. Among other things it points out that the the mixture of public and private initiatives in strategic organizations today is a question with experimental possibilities. The question of the organization of small farmers and their links with higher level organizations like input supplying or selling companies, or irrigation systems, is a complex one. The possibility of small farmers to form their own companies, without loss of control on their land, now exists under the law and needs to be explored. The Cooperative principle is alive and kicking, if we have the strength to adapt and innovate. The Producer’s Company legislation now on the statute book provides an important method of strengthening farmer groups to take advantage of strategic alliances for growth, following the cooperative principle. It is being reported that the proposed amendments to the Company Act are planning to change the Producer Company provisions. It is important that the institution is strengthened.