ABSTRACT
Land degradation concerns farmers in its effect on production. Most responses from land users to changes in soil quality are tied to some aspect of agricultural production: reduced yields; greater difficulty in maintaining yields; more weeds; stones on the surface making ploughing difficult. The farmers’ perspective is, therefore, most often articulated through how production is changing and the way in which plants, soil, water supplies and natural vegetation have deteriorated, making production more problematic. It is therefore essential that this handbook reflects the concerns of farmers, because this is the way they most often make their assessments of land degradation.
