ABSTRACT

Degradation of land and desertification, in the broad sense, are social facts. Relation of human with land essentially has a dual character. First, human practices of use of land impact desertification. Secondly degradation of land and desertification make the people who subsist on land the victims of this process. As a social problem, desertification and combat with desertification is one of basic issues of sustainable development. Desertification is also considered as a development problem under the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification. One of the main objectives of the Convention is to mitigate social and economical impacts of desertification for a sustainable development. The main purpose of this article is to make a descriptive analysis of the socio-economic structures of the households who make their living from agriculture and stock breeding in the regions under the risk of desertification, and to exhibit possible potentials for sustainable livelihood. This study depends on the field research held among 80 households in Konya, Karapınar in 2007. Quantitative and qualitative methods are utilized for collection of data. The results of this study indicate that the socio-economic structures of the households who make their living from agriculture and stock breeding in the regions under the risk of desertification have substantial limitations for a sustainable livelihood