Sustainable Land Management in the Tropics: Explaining the Miracle

Bringing together case studies from Kenya, Benin, Cameroon and the Philippines, this volume provides a multidisciplinary overview of the economics of natural resource management in Tropical regions, at household and village level. By comparing a wide array of climatic and economic conditions, it examines the effect of location and access to the market - as well as the importance of national policies - have on soil and water conservation. The book not only analyzes the benefits of soil and water conservation based on econometric studies, but also assesses the costs involved. In doing so it challenges commonly held assumptions about poorer community's ability to finance such measures.

Dr Kees Burger, Department of Development Economics, Wageningen University, The Netherlands and Dr Fred Zaal, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands