ABSTRACT
Although land degradation is a physical process, its underlying causes are firmly rooted in the socio-economic, political and cultural environment in which land users operate. For example, for some land users poverty may be a key factor that leads to land degradation since poor land users may become stuck in a cycle of degradation, where their poverty precludes investment in the land, lack of investment leads to further land degradation, and degradation to more
poverty. Consequent upon the downward spiral are low crop yields, adverse food security and little surplus production for sale, thus
reinforcing the poverty of the land user. Other issues such as
security of tenure, alternative income-earning opportunities and labour constraints are additional land user factors important in determining overall land degradation status.
