However, this conservation strategy is contingent on the country with the highly degraded land having sufficient wealth to purchase, transport, store, process, and distribute food and fiber products and on the willingness and ability of other countries to share these products and costs. Similarly, a poor economy within a country prevents public investment in soil conservation programs and individuals from investing in soil conservation on their land. In addition, farming methods often are passed down to succeeding generations. Changing to conservation farming methods may be contrary to custom, tradition, and peer pressure. In some cultural and political systems, land is divided into smaller units as it passes from generation to generation, which can make land conservation difficult when multiple tracts of land are involved (hudson, 1981b). Many countries do not have an infrastructure of research, development, education, and technical assistance to support land conservation. The need for conservation often does not match the opportunity for conservation.