Living with Drought & Combating Desertification

This manuscript summarises years of studies on desertification and drought in the Brazilian Northeast. It also presents a little of my experiences. After all, I am a son of this land. I bring to the reader experiences that I consider emblematic for the population’s coexistence with drought and for mitigating the effects of the desertification process, led by local actors (farmers, teachers). We are going through one of the longest droughts on record in the region. The communities whose experiences have been analysed here clearly see the value in water and food security presented by the projects they have designed and implemented, so that the drama experienced in the past (which is still being repeated in other parts of the region) is no longer a threat here. Environmental education has been improving socio-environmental conditions. Therefore, I invite the reader to get to know this reality and understand the ability of Northeasterners to live in this dry land without the vicissitudes of the climate being a threat.