Farmers’ perception on land degradation and local solutions for land restoration and livelihood improvement in Mopti region, Mali

Abstract

Land degradation by soil erosion is a socioeconomic and environmental problem facing many developing countries. In order to generate knowledge that supports sound and informed decision making for sustainable land restoration, this thesis examined farmers’ Perception on Land Degradation and Local Strategies for Land Restoration and Livelihood Improvement in Mopti Region, Mali. Study was carried out in two districts Bandiagara and Bankass and used satellite images acquired over 29-year period, census and meteorological data to capture population dynamics and climate impacts on land cover change. Local households were interviewed to understand awareness and impacts of land-degradation, its perceived causes and preferred methods for restoration. Spatial analysis revealed rapid land use change characterized by a high conversion rate of vegetated areas to agricultural land, driven by increased population and changes in farming systems and rainfall. The perceived major causes of land degradation included: accelerated erosion, deforestation, non-adoption of adequate soil conservation measures. This research conclude that policymakers could improve communities’ knowledge such as contour bound line, terracing, cropping along contour, planting grasses in waterways and tree planting. Therefore, those local strategies have to be used in integrated approach for sustainable land management in order to improve livelihood of people. Sustainable land use requires a greater focus on resilient land management system such as agroforestry, soil and water conservation and rational grazing.