Description: This book seeks to stimulate awareness of the critical role of land resources in sustainable development, and the need to improve land management. It provides an authoritative review of the resources of soils, water, climate, forests, and pastures on which agriculture and rural land use depend, and assesses prospects for feeding future populations. Addressing the environmental issues of erosion, loss of soil fertility, deforestation, and desertification, it is critical of present methods of assessing land degradation and placing an economic value on land. It emphasizes the links between land resources and wider aspects of development, including population and poverty. It shows that land available for food production is less than previously estimated, and that unless action is taken the developing world will face recurrent problems of food security and conflict. The book should be read by all involved in rural development, including natural scientists, economists, geographers, sociologists, and planners, together with students of development studies. It provides a summary and perspective of the field of land resources, gives some forcefully expressed criticisms of current methods, and suggests improvements needed to conserve resources for future generations.

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