Institution: Humboldt University
Biosummary:
Dieter Kirschke is an agricultural economist and has in particular worked on agricultural policy analysis and evaluation. He is a professor and has the chair of Agricultural Policy at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
Silvia Morgenroth is an agricultural economist and has specialised in international agricultural development and resource management. She is a research fellow at the Humboldt-University.
Christian Franke is a mathematician. He has a specialisation in econometrics and multivariate data analysis related to international agricultural development. He is a senior research fellow at the Humboldt-University of Berlin.
Title: How do human-induced factors influence soil erosion in developing countries? The role of poverty, population pressure and agricultural intensification. Co-authors: Silvia Morgenroth, Christian Franke.
Theme: 3C
The principal objective of the research project to be presented, is to structure and identify some of the relevant anthropogenic factors that induce soil erosion based on the GLASOD data, and to assess their relative importance on a global scale. This effort is considered an essential precondition for the design of policies that efficiently reduce soil erosion in developing countries.
Preliminary policy implications of these findings are a stronger focus on (i) the reduction of population pressure and upgrading of supporting capacities - also in marginal areas -, through the development and dispersion of ecologically sound, land-saving and factor-scarcity-related technology and production methods, (ii) a long-term increase of agricultural price levels, especially for non-erosive crops, (iii) a new perception of the poor as most affected, but not most responsible for soil erosion, and (iii) the role of commercial forestry in deforestation and soil erosion.