[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 79 (Wednesday, June 17, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6485-S6486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I would like to take just a few moments 
of the time of the Members to discuss a subject which I find probably 
no one has ever heard of but, nevertheless, is one of the very serious 
problems facing the world. I wish my colleagues a Happy World Day to 
Combat Desertification.
  I assume most Senators have never heard of this day, so let me 
explain. June 17 was established as World Day to Combat Desertification 
to promote awareness of dryland degradation.
  Few Americans today have an association with desertification. My 
parents and their contemporaries did: the great ``Dust Bowl'' that 
occurred in the western United States in the 1930s. Desertification is 
defined as land degradation in arid and semi-arid areas resulting from 
climatic variations and human activities. It can occur to such an 
extent that affected dryland can no longer sustain vegetation, crops, 
livestock or the people who depend on them for survival. In the 1930s, 
desertification forced farmers and their families off their land when 
topsoil--and their livelihood--blew away. Vermont is not arid. But as 
an agricultural State, Vermonters were pained by the plight of western 
farmers. The suffering of these farmers who became penniless migrants 
is still starkly visible in photos of the era.
  Hopefully, the U.S. will never experience another ``Dust Bowl.'' We 
have the expertise and resources to prevent such damage to U.S. 
agricultural lands. However, it threatens the way of life of one 
billion people worldwide in underdeveloped countries. The economic 
consequences of desertification are particularly devastating in regions 
that are both underdeveloped and arid. In these regions, much of the 
population relies on subsistence agriculture. Subsistence farmers do 
not have the means

[[Page S6486]]

or incentives to make investments in proper land and water management. 
Poor land and water management, especially when combined with periodic 
droughts, are the primary causes of desertification. Other factors 
include overcultivation, overgrazing, single-crop farming on fragile 
soil, slash-and-burn land clearing methods, and improper irrigation 
practices. These factors are often compounded by unwise government 
policies and the pressure of explosive population growth. When formerly 
productive farm and pastoral land is degraded, it creates a downward 
spiral of poverty and rural out-migration--often to the already 
overcrowded cities. We saw this during our own ``Dust Bowl.''
  I was only a small child in the 1930s. I never met impoverished 
farmers dislocated by the ``Dust Bowl.'' But I have witnessed first 
hand the effects of desertification in Indonesia and Africa. I saw 
first hand how hard farmers are fighting to hold on to arable land in 
the face of huge environmental changes brought on by cutting of the 
rainforests or overgrazing of arid lands. And I saw the resulting 
poverty and dislocation that then grip these areas.
  Through our foreign aid programs, we are assisting afflicted regions. 
But we could use our resources more efficiently by joining 124 other 
nations in ratifying the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification in 
Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and /or Desertification, 
Particularly in Africa. As the Administration began to sharpen its 
focus on Africa prior to the President's recent trip, it decided to 
make U.S. ratification a priority. On the occasion of World Day to 
Combat Desertification, I urge my colleagues to take a look at this 
treaty and reflect for a moment on the benefits to the U.S. of Senate 
ratification.

  The treaty is in the best interest of the United States. Our 
agriculture industry, American universities, and our non-governmental 
organizations have considerable expertise in combating desertification. 
Businesses like Monsanto, Land O' Lakes, and the Chocolate 
Manufacturers Association are supporting the treaty because it will 
increase U.S. business opportunities. Ratification will also increase 
export of American technical assistance in erosion control. The 
Irrigation Association supports it because many of its members produce 
world-class irrigation and water control equipment. After ratification, 
the U.S. may submit names of its desertification experts and 
consultants for the international Roster of Independent Experts who are 
available to provide services.
  The treaty does not commit the U.S. to any specific level of foreign 
assistance. Rather, it asks governments of developed nations to channel 
existing bilateral and multilateral aid funds through a new mechanism 
that will provide improved coordination and better use of donor 
resources. The treaty obligates recipient nations to develop actions 
plans ``from the bottom up'' to combat regional and local 
desertification. The treaty is remarkable because it calls upon local 
communities to take the lead in identifying their problems and 
selecting the best solutions for their particular situations.
  On World Day to Combat Desertification, let's not forget our own grim 
experience with desertification and the ``Dust Bowl.'' Let's join the 
other nations that have ratified the Convention to Combat 
Desertification and prevent a reoccurrence of this tragedy elsewhere.

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