Nicaragua does not have desert zones, but it does have a ‘dry zone’ which represents 34% of the whole country (total surface of the desert zone: 41,148.03 km²). This zone covers the following ten provinces: Nueva Segovia, Madriz, Estelí, Chinandega, León, Managua, Rivas, Masaya, Granada and Carazo. It also includes part of Matagalpa, Jinotega, Boaco and Chontales. Those zones cover 116 municipalities where 80% of the whole population of the country lives. All those people depend on the dry forest ecosystem functions, this means their economic system is based on the water and forestalls resources and their soil productivity. Those are the indicators that guarantee the economical development and poor sectors survival.

 

In despite of the volcanic soils fertility, the forest damages and the application of wrong and harmful forestall techniques have created a serious degradation state that has made decrease the agricultural production in terms of 30-50% around the whole country. The soil degradation effects are caused by the desertification process and some natural disasters such as the hurricanes and climatologic phenomena. The consequences are harvest losses and reduction of the available water resources.

 

The losses that are caused by droughts and poverty stimulate the intensification of production by using certain strategies such as extensive farm practicing and forests invasions in order to create a market for woody products.

 
At this point, more than 50% of the dry zone is being over-exploited and managed with unsustainable practices. Politics actions and several programs to reduce the impact of droughts and poverty have not been effective due to the fact that they have not been designed to reduce the causes of the soil degradation. Instead of improving the situation, these practices could make the degradation status even worst.

 

Due to the land degradation problems and the food security issues (most of all in the dry zone), Nicaragua assumed compromises that are stipulated in the Fight Against Desertification and Drought Convention which was firstly promoted in February 1998. In 2003, the Fight Against Desertification and Drought Action Program was created and published; it defined four strategy branches for the orientation of future programs and projects in Nicaragua:

• Reversing the soil degradation process in dry zones.
• Mitigation of the drought impacts in dry zones.
• Natural resources protection: soil, water, forests and biodiversity.
• Institutional strength in national and local terms

The proposed agroforestry systems for WAFLA take place in the seven driest municipalities of Nicaragua.

National:

• State institutions for the Sistema Productivo Agropecuario Rural de Nicaragua “SPAR” (INTA, MAGFOR, MARENA, IDR, INAFOR, ENABAS, FCR).
• The Project Manejo Sostenible de la Tierra del  Ministerio de Recursos Naturales (MARENA) that works together with PNUD and INTA for coordinating some projects against desertification and support the National Action Plan (PAN).
• Ministerio de Educación - MINED
• MINSA: Ministerio de Salud.

Local:

• Local mayoralties “Local Ambient Commission”
• Unión Nacional de Agricultores y Ganaderos - UNAG
• SAVE THE CHILDREN
• Fondo de Asistencia técnica FAT- FUNICA
• Programa  Mundial de Alimentos - PMA
• Solidaridad Internacional - SI
• Plan Internacional – PLAN
• Crédito rural e Intermediaria financiera- COFODEC
• FUNDACIÓN TIERRA Y VIDA: It offers services on education, health and diet for children.
• ASOGASA: Asociación de Ganaderos, venta de productos veterinarios y promoción de la ganadería.
• FDL: Crédito urbano rural e Intermediaria financiera.
• FUNDACION LEÓN 2000: Crédito urbano rural e Intermediaria financiera.