Gateway to Land and Water Information: Ghana Table 5.1.1: Socio-economic factors which influence degradation

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Table 5.1.1: Socio-economic factors which influence degradation > 5.1 > 5. > menu

Table 5.1.1: Socio-economic factors which influence degradation

Agro-ecological Zone	Manifestation of Degradation	Direct Socio-economic Factors	Indirect Socio-economic Factors
Coastal Savanna	Soil fertility decline, land degradation, deforestation, rangeland degradation	Over-cultivation, overgrazing, woodfuel extraction, farming on steep slopes, bush burning mechanized cultivation	Population pressure, lack of agro-forestry, demand for wood from fishing and processing industries
Rainforest	Deforestation, forest degradation	Conversion to farmland, destructive logging, woodfuel extraction, mining	Deforestation for wood for fishing industry, land tenure
Semi-deciduous Forest	Forest degradation/land degradation	Conversion to farmland, destructive logging, destructive woodfuel, cultivation on steep slopes, extraction and charcoal production, bush fires, poor crop-agro-forestry integration, mining, plantain establishment	Population pressure, rural-rural migration, land tenure, feminisation of farming
Transitional	Land degradation/fertility decline	Shortening fallows, poor farming practices, poor crop-livestock-agro-forestry integration, mechanisation, charcoal production, bush fires	Population pressure, land tenure systems, urban demand for fuelwood
Guinea Savanna	Land degradation, rangeland degradation, declining soil fertility	Deforestation, bush fires, poor soil and water conservation, overgrazing, demand for poles, mechanization	Population pressure, ineffective bush fire control, local building construction methods
Sudan Savanna	Soil erosion, land degradation	Over-cultivation, deforestation, overgrazing, poor soil and water conservation practices	Population pressure, ineffective bush fire control

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