Rural Poverty and Land Degradation: A Review of the Current State of Knowledge

By highlighting the lack of rigorous evidence and calling for a greater understanding of the interaction of the two processes, a recent study [Nelson et al. (1997)] has called into question the strong perception that poverty is both a consequence as well as a cause of resource degradation. This perception which is widely held is strongly evident in the writings of the multilateral development agencies such as the World Bank (1990) and IFAD (1992) and exists despite extensive reviews which indicate that the short- and long-term implications of land degradation are not very clear [see Scherr and Yadav (1995)]. Similarly, while knowledge about poverty is expanding rapidly, thanks in large parts to the massive international focus and resources brought to bear on its understanding in the past ten years or so; the existing state of knowledge is still far from providing a comprehensive understanding of all the complex dimensions of its processes. The understanding of the interactions of poverty and land degradation is even less clear and limited. This paper reviews the existing knowledge about the relationship between poverty and land degradation and draws implications for research.