Defined simply as “the benefits people obtain from ecosystems”, ecosystem services have become a hot topic in recent years. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment demonstrated the many ways that ecosystem services contribute to human well-being.
Improvements in rainfed systems have the potential to improve agricultural production, increase water productivity and lift millions of farmers, particularly in Africa, out of poverty.
We know of the problems of water scarcity and of degradation of water, land and ecosystems. How did they occur, and what is our specific role in addressing them?
