ABSTRACT
As outlined in Chapter 1, pressures on the land are increasing and the challenge in the tropics and subtropics is to sustain the land’s productivity without destroying its quality (Dumanski et al. 1998:108; Pieri et al. 1995:1). The front-line of this struggle is steeplands, where economically disadvantaged and often inexperienced farmers are cultivating the most fragile and erosive lands. The result is often accelerated soil and land degradation (El-Ashry, 1988; Hudson, 1988).
