Short description of the best practice

The land management plan was developed together with local population, than it was implemented.
Degraded areas (landslides and heavy eroded soils)  are excluded from agricultural production  for afforestation and grassland.
The following soil and water conservation practices were applied in vineyards and orchards:
• Contour farming,
• Utilisation of minimal tillage,
• Degraded forest protection belts were repaired,
• Planting of grass in inter raw of vineyards and orchards,
Arable lands are protected from soil erosion through:
• Crop rotation,
• Application of mineral and organic fertilizers.
• Strip cropping,
• Sol conservation tillage,
• Planting of forest belts,
Integrated plant protection actions are carried out in orchards and vineyards. protection from pests: warning about the development of pests in orchards and vineyards was performed through use of pheromone traps installed with one to two traps per hectare frequency.  The traps were warning of the need to perform chemical spraying, so that the chemicals were used only when strictly necessary and not according to old system schedules, thus a smaller amount of chemical was used.|

Location

Rehabilitation of degraded land

Estimated population living in the location:

1000.0

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

The territory of Cretoaia village is situated in the Central Moldavian Plateau, at an average elevation of about 350 m. It is interlaced by deep, flat valleys, ravines, and landslide-scoured depressions.|
Climate is moderately continental: the summers are warm and long, with temperatures averaging about 20°C, and the winters are relatively mild and dry, with January temperatures averaging -4°C. Annual rainfall, which ranges from around 500 millimeters; long dry spells are not unusual. The heaviest rainfall occurs in summer; heavy showers and thunderstorms are common.|
Chernozems (black soils) prevail in the soil composition (80% of the area), however they are degraded. About 50% of land has a gradient from 2 to 6 degree, while 30% of land has an inclination exceeding 6 degree. Water erosion processes are widespread and quite intense. The predominant length of the hillsides in Cretoaia is over 900 m.|

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

People in the community have land plots of about 4 hectares per household which belongs to them and they have title deeds and land maps to prove it.  
The estimated average income per capita in the community over the last 3 years was 70 US dollars per month.
The principal activity in the commune is agriculture. The farmers cultivate arable crops, grapes, fruits and vegetables.  People also have cows, sheep and goats in their household, mainly for own consumption and some extra for sale. There is a meal and a macaroni factory in the village, where local population work. |

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

- Stabilization of degradation processes.
- Improvement of the soil properties.
- Increased agricultural production.|

Main problems addressed by the best practice

- Unsustainable land management practices leading to soil erosion, landslides, water and soil pollution.
- Illegal cutting of forests, leading to the destruction of forest belts and buffer strips.|

Outline specific land degradation problems addressed by the best practice

(i) Soil degradation.
(ii) Fertility depletion.
(iii) Decline in land biodiversity.
(iv) Reduction in productivity.
(iv) Reduction of nutrient discharge into water bodies.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

- Recovery and rehabilitation of degraded lands,
|- promoting sustainable use of land resources in the project pilot area,
|- enhanced the conservation of biodiversity,

Brief description of main activities, by objective

The purpose of the rehabilitation work was to stabilise, landscape  to again fulfil their original function. They are integrated with activities that speed up regeneration process such as soil and water conservation activities, vegetative and management measures.|
- Regeneration of degraded commune forest as well as existing forest protective belts.
- Soil conservation tillage (maintenance of cover (live or dead vegetal material) is carried out parallel to the contour lines. Crop rotation, strip cropping, forest belts are carried out according to the plan.
|- Planting of grass in inter raw of vineyards and orchards together with contour tillage and other soil conservation are the main actions for run off and erosion control.
- The Small Farm Rerservoir is an earth dam structure used to trap harvest and store rainfall and water runoff.

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

RISSA, NFFM, RIAAS, NGO Biodiversity Protection|

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• Local initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

LPA, farmers, teachers, District Ecological Agency|

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

• LPA, farmers, teachers were the stakeholders who requested NGO BIOS to develop and promote the initiative.
• District Ecological Agency supported community and NGO BIOS in implementation and promotion  of environmentally friendly practices in community and in the Central region of Moldova.
• National Farmers Federation of Moldova was co-organizer together with NGO BIOS of awareness building campaign and training for NFFM trainers in environmentally friendly practices.

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

The expected environmental impact of initiated actions are significant, especially in the long run. Expected changes include change diminishing the landslides activity, the soil erosion rates, change in existing land use management, change in landscape, etc.|
The sustainable technologies were proposed and implemented for the soil to be productive. The increased production were on the land were fertilizers were applied in combination with soil conservation practices.  
Man found another occupation - fishing in the built water reservoir, while community population - recreation. The expected social impact of implemented practices include change in increased jobs for people, increases in agricultural productivity.|

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

Aforestation and soil conservation technologies are one of the main sink of carbon dioxide. In this way good agricultural practices have a positively impact on climate change mitigation.
- Afforestation of the severely eroded soils would contribute to preserving biodiversity and will create conditions for biodiversity development.
- Planting of new forest belts would protect the agricultural lands from severe winds, erosion processes and would create ecologic networks, i.e. the connection between natural habitats and will facilitate the migration, thus providing better feeding and other living conditions for wild animals and birds..|
The scope of the proposed practices is to improve the properties of soils. The respective agro-ecosystems having soils with improved properties with adequate management practices will have also positively impact on climate change adaptation.

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

Cobani village, Glodeni district|

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

1. Highly motivated local governments.
2. Bad weather conditions which led to intensifying the level of landslides activity
3. Clearly expressed objectives and expectations in respect to individual benefits.
All these can be replicated anywhere.

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes