Marginal lands are areas where low and variable rainfall, low temperatures and/or steep slopes severely limit natural biological productivity: they are called 'marginal' as intensive agriculture is not possible. Distributed throughout the world, including many industrialized countries, they are typically found in the poorest countries, occuring in 24 of the least developed countries listed by the United Nations. They support about one-third of the world's rural population who earn their living mainly by livestock gazing.
Because marginal lands are ecologically very fragile, they require particularly careful management. In the past, when human population were small, man established a harmonious partnership with nature. Today, with increasing population pressure, marginal lands are often used in ways which are ecologically unsound: for example, in arid zones overgrazing can set off a chain of events leading to irrepairable soil degradation. To satisfy human needs, without damaging the environment, new management systems must be developed for these areas.
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