This Law, consisting of 22 articles, provides for agricultural soil preservation within the State of Paraná. The agricultural land is a National Patrimony and, consequently, it is under the responsibility of the State, the rightful owners, the temporary occupants and the community to preserve it, exercising in it the right of ownership or temporary possession with the limitations established in this agricultural land code of use. The use of agricultural land will only be allowed through land use planning, according to its capacity through the use of appropriate technology.

Shifting cultivation, under its diverse forms of slash and burn system, is a traditional method of cultivating tropical upland soils, mostly for subsistence purposes. This traditional system of cultivation is in ecological balance with the environment and does not irreversibly degrade the soil resource, provided a sufficient length of fallow is allowed for soil restoration. However, increasing population pressures necessitate more intensive use of land. The consequence is extended cropping periods and shortened fallows.

This paper is written in fulfilment of the requirement of the Associate Regional Advisers (ARA) Programme which is run under the auspices of the Forest Industries Advisory Group (FIAG) for Africa. The objective of the Forest Industries Advisory Group is to assist African countries in promoting the growth of forest industries and their optimum contribution to economic and social development.

It soon became apparent that soil degradation in the Ethiopian Highlands may be posing a threat not only in terms of the physical loss of soils, but also in terms of deteriorating, soil chemical fertility. This study has therefore emphasized both the physical and chemical deterioration of soils due to degradation.