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Land management policy and practice in a steepland agricultural area: a Malaysian example
Author(s) -
Lim J. N. W.,
Douglas I.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-145x(200001/02)11:1<51::aid-ldr367>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - government (linguistics) , agriculture , sustainability , land management , environmental planning , business , agricultural land , land use , service (business) , agricultural policy , environmental resource management , natural resource economics , agricultural economics , geography , economics , marketing , engineering , biology , ecology , philosophy , linguistics , civil engineering , archaeology
The steeplands worked by Malaysian farmers are being severely degraded by loss of fertility, landsliding and soil erosion. Although the need to conserve and carefully manage agricultural land is clearly stated in government policies, the actual outcomes of policy implementation are often not effective, real government action appearing to be concentrated on alleviating urban environmental problems rather than on sustainable use of rural land. Detailed investigations in villages in western Sabah, Malaysia Borneo, found that lack of commitment to ensure the long‐term sustainability of the land farmed by the rural poor was reflected in the types of training programme of the agricultural extension service field workers, and the advice and practices encouraged by the government. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.