LAND DEGRADATION AND PROPERTY REGIMES

This paper addresses the relationship between property regimes and lan d degradation outcomes, in the context of peasant agriculture. We cons ider explicitly whether private property provides for superior soil re source conservation, as compared to common property and open access. T o assess this we implement optimization algorithms on a supercomputer to address resource decision-making of individual households. We find that conditions exist under which private property does not lead to th e best environmental outcome. Access to farming technology and off-far m employment opportunities are key factors in this result.