Nearly a quarter of the land in Ethiopia is degraded. It has lost its quality and can no longer grow crops, support plant life, or hold water as it used to. The causes are mainly human pressures (deforestation, overuse, poor land management) and natural factors (heavy rainfall that erodes the soil, and variations in the climate). The consequences are dire and far-reaching. Degraded landscapes do more than reduce agricultural productivity. They are scarred by deep gullies, and water flows very fa