UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference

1. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
Edward B. Barbier
Department of Economics & Finance, University of Wyoming
LAND DEGRADATION AND THE RURAL
POOR: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACTS
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2. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
GLOBAL LAND DEGRADATION
de Jong et al. 2011. “Quantitative mapping of global land degradation using Earth
observations.” International Journal of Remote Sensing 32:6823-6853. 2

3. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
LAND DEGRADATION BY REGION
Source: UNEP
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4. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
FRAGILE LANDS AND POOR ECONOMIES
 Since 1950, the estimated population in
developing economies on “fragile lands” prone
to land degradation has doubled.
 Upland areas, forest systems and drylands that
suffer from low agricultural productivity, and
areas that present significant constraints for
intensive agriculture.
 Nearly 1.3 billion people – ca. one quarter of the
world’s population – live in such areas in
developing regions.
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5. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference
World Bank. 2003. World Development Report 2003. Washington DC: World Bank. 10 April 2013
FRAGILE LAND POPULATIONS
Population in fragile lands
Region Population in Number Share of total
2000 (millions) (%)
(millions)
Latin America and the Caribbean 515.3 68 13.1
Middle East and North Africa 293.0 110 37.6
Sub-Saharan Africa 658.4 258 39.3
South Asia 1,354.5 330 24.4
East Asia and Pacific 1,856.5 469 25.3
Eastern Europe and Central Asia 474.7 58 12.1
OECD Group 850.4 94 11.1
Other 27.3 2 6.9
Total 6,030.1 1,389 23.0
Total Developing Economiesb 5,179.7 1,295 25.0
Total Latin America, Africa and 4,677.7 1,235 26.4
Asian Developing Economiesc
Source: World Bank. 2003. World Development Report 2003. Washington DC: World Bank.
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6. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
POOR PEOPLE AND LAND DEGRADATION
 The rural poor in developing countries are
predominantly found in areas with the greatest
potential for land and water degradation; i.e.,
land with highly weathered soils, steep slopes,
inadequate or excess rainfall, and high
temperatures.
 About 630 million of the rural poor live on these
unfavorable lands in the developing world,
whereas just under 320 million of the poor have
access to favored lands.
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7. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
RURAL POOR IN DEVELOPING REGIONS
Rural poor on less
favored lands
Region Rural poor on Number Share of
favored lands (millions) total
(millions) (percent)
Central and South 24 47 66
America
West Asia and North 11 35 76
Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa 65 175 73
Asia 219 374 63
Total 319 631 66
Source: Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. 2007. Water for
Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture.
London: Earthscan and International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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8. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
RURAL POOR AND POPULATION ON FRAGILE LANDS
60%
51.4%
49.6%
50% 47.0%
% of Rural Population in Poverty
44.6%
40% 36.4%
30%
20%
10%
0%
<20 20-30 30-50 50-70 >70
Fragile Land Population Share (%)
Developing economies are all low and middle income economies with 2009 per capita income of $12,195 or less, following World Bank (2012).
Percentage of rural population in poverty is from World Bank (2012).
Percentage of population on fragile land is from World Bank (2003).
Number of observations = 92 countries, of which 13 (<20% of population on fragile land), 32 (20-30%), 33 (30-50%), 9 (50-70%) and 5 (> 70%).
The average rural poverty rate across all countries is 45.3%, and the median is 46.6%.
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9. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
FRAGILE LAND POPULATION AND GDP PER CAPITA
$4,500
$3,961
$4,000
$3,500
GDP per capita ($2000)
$3,000
$2,500
$2,083
$2,000
$1,570
$1,500
$1,000 $817 $822
$500
$0
<20 20-30 30-50 50-70 >70
Fragile Land Population Share (%)
Developing economies are all low and middle income economies with 2009 per capita income of $12,195 or less, following World Bank (2012).
GDP per capita ($ 2000), latest year, is from World Bank (2012).
Percentage of population on fragile land is from World Bank (2003).
Number of observations = 104 countries, of which 15 (<20% of population on fragile land), 31 (20-30%), 42 (30-50%), 11 (50-70%) and 5 (> 70%).
The average GDP per capita ($ 2000) across all countries is $1,952 and the median is $1,144.
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10. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
WORSENING PROBLEM?
 Around three-quarters of the developing
world’s poor still live in rural areas, and
twice as many poor people live in rural
than in urban areas.
 By 2025, the rural population of the
developing world will have increased to
almost 3.2 billion, placing increasing
pressure on a declining resource base.
 More marginal lands (forest and wetlands)
will be converted to croplands.
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11. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
THE “ASSETLESS” RURAL POOR
 Poorest rural households have very few productive
assets, except land and unskilled labor.
 Almost all households engage in some form of
agriculture, but the size of landholdings tends to be very
small.
 Poor rural households tend to rely on selling their only
other asset, unskilled labor.
 Permanent migration for work is rare for most poor rural
households.
 Given the lack of ownership of assets by the rural
poor, and their tendency to stay where they are
located, the livelihoods of the "assetless" poor are often
dependent on their 2007. The economic lives of the poor. Journal of
Banerjee, A.V. and E. Duflo.
surrounding natural environments.
Economic Perspectives 21(1):141-168.
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12. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
HOW THE “ASSETLESS” POOR SURVIVE
 The range of choices and tradeoffs available to the poor
is affected by:
 their access to key markets (e.g., for land, labor, credit as well as
goods and services)
 the quality and state of the surrounding environment on which
their livelihoods depend.
 In the absence of well-functioning local
labor, capital, land and credit markets, the rural poor
depend critically on the use of common-property and
open access resources for their income and nutritional
needs.
 It may be the “assetless” poor who end up most
dependent on exploiting the surrounding environment
and its ecological services for survival.
Barbier, E.B. 2010. "Poverty, development, and environment." Environment and
Development Economics 15:635-660.
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13. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT TRAP
 Agriculture on marginal lands is prone to land
degradation, and many resource commons are subject
to overexploitation or threatened by development
activities.
 Labor productivity of poor households in resource
activities and agriculture will fall.
 More labor will be allocated to outside employment.
 But if there are many workers looking for paid work, the
wage for hired labor will decline.
 Many households will switch back to resource activities
and agriculture, but only enough to cover subsistence
needs.
Underemployed labor and resource degradation
Barbier, E.B. 2010. "Poverty, development, and environment." Environment and
Development Economics 15:635-660.
deepens the poverty-environment trap.
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14. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
VICIOUS CYCLE
Land
Degradatio
n
More Land
Declining
and Natural
Agricultural
Resource
Productivity
Use
Search for
Falling
Outside
Wages
Work
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15. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
TOWARDS A NEW POLICY STRATEGY
 Involve the poor in payment for ecosystem services and
other measures that enhance the environment.
 Target investments directly to the rural poor, thus reducing
their dependence on exploiting environmental resources.
 Improve access of the poor in less favored areas to markets
for credit, insurance and land.
 Reduce the high transportation and transaction costs that
prohibit the poorest households in remote areas to engage
in off-farm employment.
 Provide effective institutions and governance in support of
poor communities use of common pool resources.
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16. UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference 10 April 2013
FINAL REMARKS
 Land degradation in developing economies is
also about rural poverty.
 Countries with high incidence of populations
on fragile lands are poorer, have higher rural
poverty and are more resource dependent.
 Land degradation is at the core of the
poverty-environment trap of the assetless
poor.
 A new policy strategy is urgently needed.
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