ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the relation between transition and investment. While the word investment' sounds financial, the author take the word in a wide sense, comprising the expenditure of Labour, effort, time and agony and perhaps money to establish something durable. Fifty years ago, the semi-arid Machakos district in Kenya was a disaster area, characterized by overpopulation, soil erosion and poverty. Soil degradation is linked to the land use. At low levels of population density, people can feed themselves using the land extensively: after some years of use, other land can be taken into cultivation and the original area has the time to recover naturally. The chapter argues that the change does not require a capital investment. The work to be done for soil and water conservation (SWC) can in general be done with the work force of even poor households. The maintenance costs of SWC are high compared with the establishment costs.
