Breaking the Cycles of Land Degradation: A case study from Ban Lak Sip, Laos

farming practices in many regions are causing land resources to degrade—threatening future food security as well as the livelihoods of poor rural people. But, as new research has shown, tackling local problems requires an understanding of the policies and wider economic and social factors that influence farmers in their decision making processes to adopt inappropriate land use practices. A broad, multi-scale analysis of land degradation in one village in Laos has provided valuable lessons that could guide environmental policymaking elsewhere, helping to ensure that new policies do not have unintended consequences.