Reducing Poverty and Protecting the Environment: The Overlooked Potential of Less-favored Lands

Lands can be "less favored" by nature or by man for many reasons. Some areas, often on hillsides, have soils that are at risk for degradation but could produce good crops under certain conditions. Others have soils that are so poor farmers cannot even think about growing crops there. Others have productive soils but are inaccessible and need infrastructure like roads to make it worthwhile for farmers to increase production. Many less-favored areas are in mountainous regions or tropical lowlands and have low, unstable rainfall. Many lessfavored lands also suffer from environmental degradation because they are supporting a population beyond their capacity and need to be rehabilitated.