September 2014: A study published by the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) initiative, titled ‘Land Degradation, Less Favored Lands and the Rural Poor: A Spatial and Economic Analysis,’ aims to: determine the spatial distribution, for the period 2000-2010, of global rural populations on less favored agricultural land (LFAL) and in less favored agricultural areas (LFAA), as well as on degrading and improving agricultural land; and analyze how this affects poverty in developing countries.

The study confirms that the high concentration of rural populations on LFAL, LFAA and degrading agricultural lands is mainly a developing country problem, with numbers of people in these areas increasing significantly. According to the study, by 2010, over 1.4 billion people were located on degrading agricultural land, while the number of rural inhabitants on LFAL without market access was also increasing. These trends indicate an increase in the overall poverty rate, lending credence to concerns regarding geographical “poverty traps” in rural areas in developing countries. However, the study notes that if the number of those living on improving agricultural land increases, poverty rates could decline.

The study concludes that the most vulnerable groups are those located on LFAL and degrading agricultural lands, which are also far from markets, and that any strategy directed at encouraging out-migration while investing in improved livelihoods of those who stay should be aimed at the most vulnerable. [Publication: Land Degradation, Less Favored Lands and the Rural Poor: A Spatial and Economic Analysis] [ELD Website]