The Role of Community Values and Social Capital in Combating Soil Degradation in Central Chile Dryland Region.

Felipe Infante

doi:10.3390/wsf3-c002

Abstract

The unirrigated Mediterranean region of Central Chile is characterized by high levels of soil degradation and rural poverty. However, in most cases, these issues have been approached and analyzed separately. In one hand, soil degradation has been mainly attributed to “poor agricultural practices” conducted through the years by the small farmers and peasant communities that inhabit the region. In the other hand, rural poverty is commonly attributed to the low access to economic opportunities and quality education. The public proposals to address these problems have taken a linear and common path; promoting the entrance of the forest industry and the migration to urban areas. Besides these actions, from a macro point of view, it has been established the introduction of agricultural machinery and intensive agricultural methods as an answer for development, which are far from being suited for the ecological and cultural context. This paper analyze the main historical and socio-cultural factors behind this socio-environmental issue, emphasizing in how qualitative factors related to the loss of social capital and the disintegration of communities have had fundamental implications in the environmental problem of soil degradation. Also it attempts to propose causes and solutions that go beyond the technical and neo-Malthusian explanations for this case, presenting social cohesion and territorial empowerment as the bases for a sustainable agriculture in environmentally vulnerable regions.

Highlights

Land degradation is a long-term loss of ecosystem function and service, caused by disturbance from which the system cannot recover unaided (UNEP, 2007)
One approach that is becoming to develop in relation to the socioeconomic and cultural background of land degradation is the integration of concepts as social capital (Kushner and Sterk, 2005) and social cohesion (Jenson, 2010) and the need to measure them (Bouma, 2008)
Production ceremonies are a great example of social capital applied to community cooperation, in this “ceremonies” community gathers in order to help each other through labor, but as will be explained later, the implications of this goes beyond production, it promotes social cohesion (Wolf, 1966)

Summary

Introduction

Land degradation is a long-term loss of ecosystem function and service, caused by disturbance from which the system cannot recover unaided (UNEP, 2007). This is directly related to the geographical and ecological characteristics of the region, the significant presence of hills determines a huge problem for the agricultural machinery to access and function in much part of the crop-able land, so, as farm equipment is being presented as a great assist and opportunity to the farmer who cultivates in the low valley, at the same time it has become a threat to the farmer who farms in the hill, where only the yoke of oxen can access, and where it has been completely undermined the possibility of hiring people at a fair price or to receive help from their neighbors.

Results

Conclusion