1. Definition
Name
|
LAND
ABANDONED FROM AGRICULTURE
|
Brief
definition
|
Area
of agricultural land no longer cultivated
|
Unit of measure
|
Ha/unit of time (year,
decade...)
|
2.
Position within the logical framework DPSIR
Type
of Indicator
|
Driving
force or Response
|
3.
Target and political pertinence
Objective
|
The
objective of this indicator is to measure the importance
of the process of land abandonment on land use evolution
processes.
|
Importance
with respect to desertification
|
Land
abandonment may be a driving force for desertification
if the abandonment is caused by, for example, economic
factors. Abandoned lands in arid or semiarid conditions
often suffer degradation processes quickly after being
abandoned. Land abandonment can also be a response
to land degradation processes initiatiation, as a
result of natural climatic processes or perhaps unsustainable
practices, making continuing farming uneconomical.
It is very important to understand why farmers abandon
their cultivation in order to develop programmes to
prevent the tendency. The role of farmers in combating
desertification is crucial.
|
International
Conventions and agreements
|
The
UNCCD emphasizes that combating desertification must
be tackled within the general framework of actions
to promote sustainable development.
|
Secondary objectives
of the indicator
|
This indicator gives
information about the consequences of the EU and national
agricultural policies (their effects on the rural
social structure).
|
4.
Methodological description and basic definitions
Definitions
and basic concepts
|
Area
of land no longer cultivated. The farmer may cease
cultivation because the income from the land has declined,
or perhaps he retires and there is no one to succeed
him. Sometimes the current productivity of the area
is not enough to assure future net farm income. On
the other hand land is sometimes divided among the
sons, and smaller areas are even less economical.
|
Benchmarks
Indication of the values/ranges of value
|
Highly
dependent on local conditions
|
Methods
of measurement
|
Statistics
or consultation with the cooperatives (recommended
because their data are updated more often than public
statistics). The use of GIS is also really useful.
|
Limits
of the indicator
|
Sometimes
it is difficult to know who is the holder of the farm,
or who is cultivating the land, or when it is actually
abandoned.
|
Linkages
with other indicators
|
Area
of marginal soil used is linked to land abandonment
since marginal areas cultivated are the most likely
to be abandoned first. Also Farm
ownership, Family size,
Farmers age, Fragmentation
of land parcels, Net
farm income, Land
use evolution, Depopulation
caused by degradation.
|
5.
Evaluation of data needs and availability
Data
required to calculate the indicator
|
Official
statistics; Cooperative reports
|
Data
sources
|
Necessary
data are usually available and accessible and the
cost/benefit ratio is reasonable.
|
Availability of data
from national and international sources
|
Data can be obtained
from various regional, national or international institutions
involved in collecting and elaborating agricultural
statistics and the cooperatives
|
6.
Institutions that have participated in developing the indicator
Main
institutions responsible
|
Universidad
de Murcia, Spain
|
Other
contributing organizations
|
Universities
of Lisbon, Agricultural University of Athens, Basilicata,
Amsterdam, Leeds
|
7.
Additional information
Bibliography
|
V. Kakembo and
K. M. Rowntree. The relationship between land use
and soil erosion in the communal lands near peddie
town, eastern cape, south Africa. Land degrad. Develop.
14: 39-49 (2003)
G. Ruecker, p.
Schad, m. M. Alcubilla and c. Ferrer. Natural regeneration
of degraded soils and site changes on abandoned agricultural
terraces in Mediterranean Spain. Land degradation
& development land degrad. Develop. 9, 179±188
(1998)
Jo de baerdemaeker,
Dirk J. Oostwoud Wijdenes, Jean Poesen, Liesbeth Vandekerckhove,
Jeroen Nachtergaele. Gully-head morphology and implications
for gully development on abandoned fields in a semi-arid
environment, Sierra de Gata, Southeast Spain. Earth
surf. Process. Landforms 24, 585±603 (1999)
|
Other
references
|
|
Contacts Name and address
|
University of Murcia
F. López-Bermúdez
email: lopber@um.es,
jorgegg@um.es
|
|