The Political Ecology of Land Degradation
(2011) In Annual Review of Environment and Resources 36. p.295-319- Abstract
- Land degradation, as a threat to smallholders in the tropics, attracts less attention than other global challenges. In addition, gaps between scientific understandings of land degradation and international policy regimes are problematic. We identify the three most significant debates including their different policy implications: desertification in the Sahel, nutrient depletion in Africa, and rural reforms in China. Using a political ecology frame across disciplines, scales of inquiry, and regional experiences, we nuance the often polarized scientific debate while seeking to bridge the gap between science and policy. Three main findings emerge: State-led rural reforms in China represent an important approach to land degradation; a renewed... (More)
- Land degradation, as a threat to smallholders in the tropics, attracts less attention than other global challenges. In addition, gaps between scientific understandings of land degradation and international policy regimes are problematic. We identify the three most significant debates including their different policy implications: desertification in the Sahel, nutrient depletion in Africa, and rural reforms in China. Using a political ecology frame across disciplines, scales of inquiry, and regional experiences, we nuance the often polarized scientific debate while seeking to bridge the gap between science and policy. Three main findings emerge: State-led rural reforms in China represent an important approach to land degradation; a renewed focus on agriculture and sustainability in development discourses opens new ways for tackling nutrient depletion with combined sociotechnological reforms; and a policy void in Africa paves the way for market mechanisms, such as payment for environmental services, that are insufficiently understood and put fairness at risk. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2494121
- author
- Andersson, Elina LU ; Brogaard, Sara LU and Olsson, Lennart LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2011
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- China, Africa, desertification, nutrient depletion, policy
- in
- Annual Review of Environment and Resources
- volume
- 36
- pages
- 25 pages
- publisher
- Annual Reviews
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000299610900012
- scopus:80155174966
- ISSN
- 1545-2050
- DOI
- 10.1146/annurev-environ-033110-092827
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 1249a21a-b7de-46df-a400-d480ff7cf06b (old id 2494121)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:25:46
- date last changed
- 2022-02-10 02:00:17
@article{1249a21a-b7de-46df-a400-d480ff7cf06b, abstract = {{Land degradation, as a threat to smallholders in the tropics, attracts less attention than other global challenges. In addition, gaps between scientific understandings of land degradation and international policy regimes are problematic. We identify the three most significant debates including their different policy implications: desertification in the Sahel, nutrient depletion in Africa, and rural reforms in China. Using a political ecology frame across disciplines, scales of inquiry, and regional experiences, we nuance the often polarized scientific debate while seeking to bridge the gap between science and policy. Three main findings emerge: State-led rural reforms in China represent an important approach to land degradation; a renewed focus on agriculture and sustainability in development discourses opens new ways for tackling nutrient depletion with combined sociotechnological reforms; and a policy void in Africa paves the way for market mechanisms, such as payment for environmental services, that are insufficiently understood and put fairness at risk.}}, author = {{Andersson, Elina and Brogaard, Sara and Olsson, Lennart}}, issn = {{1545-2050}}, keywords = {{China; Africa; desertification; nutrient depletion; policy}}, language = {{eng}}, pages = {{295--319}}, publisher = {{Annual Reviews}}, series = {{Annual Review of Environment and Resources}}, title = {{The Political Ecology of Land Degradation}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-033110-092827}}, doi = {{10.1146/annurev-environ-033110-092827}}, volume = {{36}}, year = {{2011}}, }