El artículo hace un balance sobre los aspectos principales que se deducen del proceso de expansión de la frontera agrícola en la Amazonía ecuatoriana con énfasis en el nororiente en donde se desarrollan actividades de explotación petrolera desde la década de 1960. Tal proceso, al igual que la colonización, junto con el ingreso de las empresas agroindustriales y madereras tuvo como trasfondo el discurso oficial de la “Amazonía como territorio vacío”.

Una población numerosa puede favorecer el crecimiento económico (un bebé puede ser un futuro aportador de impuestos), generar oportunidades para la innovación tecnológica (un bebé puede ser un futuro genio e innovador) y dinamizar la economía (más consumidores y más costos compartidos). Pero esto solo puede ser posible si el tejido social y económico de una sociedad es el propicio. ¿Será el crecimiento poblacional amazónico en Ecuador lo suficientemente elevado para garantizar más pobreza y conflicto social a corto y largo plazo, o será un factor de desarrollo?

Agricultural productivity in the highlands of Ethiopia is threatened by severe land degradation, resulting in significant reductions in agricultural GDP. In order to mitigate ongoing erosion and soil nutrient loss in the productive agricultural highlands of the country, the government of Ethiopia initiated a Sustainable Land Management Program (SLMP) targeting 209 woredas (districts) in six regions of the country. This study evaluates the impact of SLMP on the value of agricultural production in select woredas by using a panel survey from 2010 to 2014.

Agricultural productivity in Ethiopia’s highlands, the country’s breadbasket, is threatened by severe land degradation. To mitigate ongoing soil erosion and soil nutrient loss, the government of Ethiopia initiated the Sustainable Land Management Program (SLMP). We evaluated the program’s impact on the value of agricultural production in select kebeles (administrative sub-districts) in which it was implemented using a two-round survey of farm households.

Existing approaches and methodologies that investigate effects of land degradation on food security vary greatly. Although a relatively rich body of literature that investigates localized experiences, geophysical and socioeconomic drivers of land degradation, and the costs and benefits of avoiding land degradation already exists, less rigorously explored are the global effects of restoring degraded landscapes.

The results of this study reveal that the full inclusion of crop production in the forest landscape restoration approach could produce largescale,
worldwide benefits for food security and therefore facilitate a wide uptake of restoration practices and the implementation of large
restoration projects. The positive impacts are multifaceted and significant in size: a reduction in malnourished children ranging from three
to six million; a reduced number of people at risk of hunger, estimated to be between 70 and 151 million; reduced pressure for expansion