Soil conservation in developing countries: project and policy intervention

Provides a socioeconomic analysis of land degradation, examining the effectiveness of a number of policies designed to help solve the problem. Many factors influence the decisions of farmers to adopt soil conservation measures. These include income, access to low-cost credit, educational level of farmers, access to sound technical advice, security of land tenure, high subsidies on agricultural supplies, and population pressures. The authors pay particular attention to price supports and taxes, the availability of new agricultural technology, and the attitude of farmers toward taking risks. The report describes what development agencies can do to promote soil conservation, and recommends future directions for research in the field. -from Authors