Conservation and management of land and
water resources for sustainable intensification of
agriculture and poverty reduction in many
developing regions has remained one of the
most challenging policy issues for a long time.
The increasing degradation of agroecosystems
gradually deprives the poor of key productive
resources and affects communities whose livelihoods
heavily rely on utilization of these
resources. Degradation of land and water resources
gradually diminishes the capacity of
individual farmers and communities to undertake
critical investments needed to reverse the
situation. This in turn reduces opportunities for
addressing nutritional and other necessities and
depletes the ability to buffer shocks, thereby
increasing vulnerability of livelihoods. The
potential nexus between worsening poverty
and degradation of natural resources also raises
fundamental questions on strategies for poverty
reduction, equitable distribution of income and
intergenerational equity..
