In the recent past, the image of agricultural and environmental crises in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) has become increasingly common. Soil erosion and soil fertility loss are considered to be negatively affecting the productive capacity of the agricultural systems (Giller et al. 1997; Sanchez et al. 1997; Smaling, Nandwa, and Janssen 1997). These problems have been ascribed to many different causes: social (e.g., marginalization of the poor and women), political (e.g., structural adjustment programs), economic (e.g., poor availability and/or high prices of inputs, limited market opportunities), biological (e.g., increasing population and reducing land sizes), and physical (e.g., climatic change).
Delve, Robert; and Ramisch, Joshua. 2006. Land Management Options in Western Kenya and Eastern Uganda. In Strategies for sustainable land management in the East African Highlands. Pender, John; Place, Frank; and Ehui, Simeon K. (Eds.) Chapter 13. Pp. 319-332. Washington, D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). http://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/129598