Environmental Degradation and Declining Socioeconomic Status:

Abstract

This work centers on the socioeconomic status of rural women in Cameroon. It tries to establish a link between rural women and land resources in Cameroon. It examines the extent to which land degradation is affecting the wellbeing of rural women given that most rural women in Cameroon depend on land for survival. Land degradation in Cameroon affects everybody but the rural women suffer more. This is because they are mainly farmers and their major source of employment is agriculture. Policy in Cameroon has not paid particular attention on land degradation problem and this is affecting women living in rural areas. The socioeconomic status of rural women in Cameroon has not been part of policy. This work tries to prove that the socioeconomic status of rural women is declining because the land is deteriorating. The causes and the effects of land degradation are analyzed, showing how rural women suffer. Some authors mention that the situation of rural women is due to the fact that they lack adequate education and critical resources but this is not the only reason. The government has not redressed concerns of land degradation appropriately. Many Non Governmental Organizations have made efforts to address the land degradation question but it is not effective because they lack enough resources. Efforts made by the government have not been sustainable because of corruption and administrative bottleneck. This study recommends that policy be put in place by the government in order to adequately address the land degradation question which puts rural women at a declining socioeconomic situation.