The Social Context of Land Degradation (“Desertification”) in Dry Regions

This chapter attempts to assess understandings of land degradation in dry regions, with an emphasis on social science contributions. It argues that the negative connotations associated with land use in dry regions have focused too much attention on environmental issues and not enough attention on the social and economic relations that influence resource use. Land degradation may be associated with how populations are distributed within dry regions and between dry and other areas. Concerns about land degradation in dry regions were voiced in many colonial states, fueled in part by the publicity surrounding the “dust bowl” crisis of the 1930s in the US In analyzing the social dimensions of land degradation in dry regions, it is tempting to start with the assumptions and premises that have defined the desertification debate. To conclude, serious problems of social and economic underdevelopment persist in dry areas, but it may be inappropriate to rally action and research on the basis of “desertification.”