Techniques monitored
The selected monitoring sites represent the main encountered problems in the region namely: water scarcity and rangeland degradation.

• Water harvesting techniques (jessour and tabias) are used for the improvement of water content of soil and thus evapotranspiration of plants and trees.
• Replenishment of groundwater aquifers are ensured through the recharge structures (gabion check dams and recharge wells).
• Rangeland degradation is cured using the rangeland resting techniques.

• Meteo measurements
• Rainfall recording
• Outflow at subwatershed level
• Piezometric levels

• Soil moisture gravimetric method,
• Leaf resistance using a porometer
• Plant cover, species diversity/density,biomass, range production.

• Dates and type of tillage
• harvest and other inputs
• Animal practices

• Total yield in kg/ha
• General yield  quality or herd/grazing quality assessment
• General impression by stakeholders

• The implementation of the SLM technologies have been conducted by a close collaboration with all stockholders who worked effectively together from the phase of planning, through the field execution and the finial evaluation of the completed works.
• As farmers are already well acquainted with the technologies, the implementation was relatively a smooth exercise.
• If the simplification of the monitored parameters  to the farmers is absolutely necessary to gain their implication, the involvement of the developments agents is rather an easier task.
• The last year was exceptionally dry (˜ 100 mm). Therefore no major agricultural activities have been carried out.

• The highly variable rainfall regime and the slow development of local species, typical of drylands, require more patience from the researchers and the other stakeholders.
• Generally, poor farmers are more interested in immediate returns rather than long term benefits.
• Very few stakeholders do care about global impacts (off site land degradation, climate change, etc) as their concern about household living priorities.
• Parallel large development programs with consistent budgets, undermine the effects of small scale research projects with relatively very limited financial resources.

»Field experiments: design and implementation in all study site