Land degradation is a serious impediment to improving rural livelihoods in Tanzania
and Malawi. This paper identifies major land degradation patterns and causes, and
analyzes the determinants of soil erosion and sustainable land management (SLM) in
these two countries. The results show that land degradation hotspots cover about 51%,
41%, 23% and 23% of the terrestrial areas in Tanzania, Malawi and Ethiopia
respectively. The analysis of nationally representative household surveys shows that
the key drivers of SLM in these countries are biophysical, demographic, regional and
socio-economic determinants. Secure land tenure, access to extension services and
market access are some of the determinants incentivizing SLM adoption. The
implications of this study are that policies and strategies that facilities secure land
tenure and access to SLM information are likely to incentivize investments in SLM.
Local institutions providing credit services, inputs such as seed and fertilizers, and
extension services must also not be ignored in the development policies. Some of the
actions taken by communities to address loss of ecosystem services or enhance or
maintain ecosystem services improvement include afforestation programs, enacting of
bylaws to protect existing forests, area closures and controlled grazing, community
sanctions for overgrazing, and integrated soil fertility management in croplands.