How can we sustainably use the land ?
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Sustainable land management combines technologies, policies, and activities aimed at integrating socio-economic principles with environmental concerns so as to simultaneously maintain or enhance production, reduce the level of production risk, protect the potential of natural resources and prevent (buffer against) soil
Answer:
Land provides an environment for agricultural production, but it also is an essential condition for improved environmental management, including source/sink functions for greenhouse gasses, recycling of nutrients, amelioration and filtering of pollutants, and transmission and purification of water as part of the hydrologic cycle. The objective of sustainable land management (SLM)1 is to harmonise the complimentary goals of providing environmental, economic, and social opportunities for the benefit of present and future generations, while maintaining and enhancing the quality of the land (soil, water and air) resource (Smyth and Dumanski, 1993). Sustainable land management is the use of land to meet changing human needs (agriculture, forestry, conservation), while ensuring long-term socioeconomic and ecological functions of the land.
Sustainable land management is a necessary building block for sustainable agricultural development, and it is a key element in AGENDA 21's goal of sustainable development (Chapter 10). Sustainable agricultural development, conservation of natural resources, and promoting sustainable land management are key objectives of the new World Bank rural investment program, From Vision to Action (World Bank, 1997), and increasingly these objectives are being included in all agricultural development and natural resources management projects.
Sustainable land management combines technologies, policies, and activities aimed at integrating socioeconomic principles with environmental concerns, so as to simultaneously:
maintain and enhance production (productivity)
reduce the level of production risk, and enhance soil capacity to buffer against degradation processes (stability/resilience)
protect the potential of natural resources and prevent degradation of soil and water quality (protection)
be economically viable (viability)
be socially acceptable, and assure access to the benefits from improved land management (acceptability/equity)
The definition and these criteria, called pillars of SLM, are the basic principles and the foundation on which sustainable land management is being developed. Any evaluation of the sustainability has to be based on these objectives: productivity, stability/resilience, protection, viability, and acceptability/equity (Smyth and Dumanski, 1993). The definition and pillars have been field tested in several countries, and they were judged to provide useful guidance to assess sustainability.
The lack of a comprehensive, quantifiable definition for sustainable land management is sometimes considered to be a serious deficiency. Yet, as argued by Gallopin (1995), a research model for sustainability has to be more flexible and therefore less easy to quantify than a research model for chemistry, physics, or classical agronomy. Such a research model must be designed around an evaluation process (rather than thematic context), because it is intended to test the likelihood of certain events taking place and the aggregate impacts of these events, rather than specifics of various null hypothesis or the impacts of certain inputs or land management interventions. Essentially the research model must include a goal statement, a conceptual framework, a set of procedures, and criteria (indicators) for diagnosis. One of the main objectives of such a research model is to evaluate the impacts of events which are uncertain, but the process of evaluation is guided by scientifically defined protocols.