Subsistence Living and Eco-Positive Behaviour: Two Diametrically Opposed Concepts? A Case Study of Farmers’ Perspectives in Sefiane, Algeria PDF

Keywords

Desertification, land degradation, rural farmers, sustainable development, environmental education.

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between land degradation and human activities in a semi-desert region, the area of Sefiane in Algeria, whose inhabitants are typically rural farmers and agro-pastoralists depending almost exclusively on their natural environment for subsistence. The study aimed at determining Sefiane community’s perceptions of the impact of desertification and land degradation on their community and to identify how this affects their way of life and means of survival. The study has shown that the population have a strong desire to be assisted in the development of guidelines for environmental education initiatives that would enable them as a community to deal with desertification and land degradation in an attempt to relieve poverty and develop a more sustainable lifestyle. The proposed environmental education program should not be limited to the development of biophysical resources, but must include also the support of societal and personal resources and capacities that are inherent to the community.