Socioeconomic impacts of land restoration in agriculture: a systematic review

Land restoration programs are an increasingly popular tool to reduce degradation and increase livelihoods. This study aims to summarize the available evidence on the socioeconomic impacts of interventions aiming to promote land restoration or prevent land degradation, including agroforestry, conservation agriculture, integrated soil fertility management and soil and water conservation. Using a systematic approach to selecting and assessing the quality of relevant studies, this review reveals a paucity of evidence. We identify 29 causal studies, of which just six assess socioeconomic outcomes, only three studies were conducted outside of Africa and none assessed agroforestry. The 29 studies provide insights into 35 intervention-outcome combinations, of which 71% reveal a positive impact on the outcome studies. We discuss the implications for policy and research.