Population Environment Development Interactions

Population - Environment - Development - Interactions

Demographic Responses to Ecological Degradation and Food Insecurity

Debilitating food shortages and tragic famines have been among the major problems facing many Sub-Saharan countries in Africa since the early 1970s. Ethiopia is one of the most severely affected countries in the region. The country's drought prone areas, on which this study focuses, are suffering from severe ecological degradation and food insecurity. The general trend in these areas represents the prevalence of disharmony between the natural resource base and the population to be sustained. This research explores the relationship between growing ecological degradation and declining agricultural productivity on the one hand and increasing population density on the other. It presents profound discussion on public awareness and perception about rural resources degradation and uncovers the social and demographic consequences of ecological degradation and food insecurity based on primary micro-level data collected from selected drought prone communities in Northern Ethiopia. Specifically, it attempts to measure the demographic changes that have taken place in the period 1984-1994 and interpret them in the context of demographic transition theory. It is argued that stress due to degradation of resources has compelled local people to realize the disadvantage of having a large number of children and apparently has led to fertility decline.

Interactions Between Dissimilar Microbial Populations and Their Environment