The highly complex nature of land degradation around the village of Moroka in the Tati area of north-eastern Botswana is analysed from a perspective of regional political ecology, and at different scales of the physical, social and economic environment. Central to the study was a historical perspective and a focus on the local villagers' perceptions, priorities and decision-making strategies, as well as the views and strategies of governmental institutions and others. The results show that environmental conditions in the area have gradually been deteriorating. The root causes of land degradation are to be found mainly in the colonial policies applied in the region at the turn of the century. The local population adapted to the colonial perturbations mainly by diversifying their income base, and today most villagers rely heavily on non-farm incomes. These incomes, and the absence of many villagers from Moroka, have affected land management as well as the options and incentives to counteract the environmental problems. Often suggested general causes of land degradation such as population growth, poverty, inequality, overgrazing, ignorance or insecure tenurial rights, have low explanatory value in Moroka. Most people in the village view the highly variable climate as the major problem rather than land degradation as such. The villagers are trying to achieve a sustainable household economy rather than a sustainable land use system. Keywords: TROPAG, environmental degradation, social change, human behaviour, farm income, land use, grazing.