The study was conducted in the vicinity of the rural town of Doka in an area of about 55 x 40 km2. The aim of the study was to map and model the influences of the introduction of mechanized rain-fed agriculture and its rapid expansion on the natural vegetation in the southern Gadarif Region. To achieve these objectives the study utilized a series of techniques. Be-side the intensive use of remote sensing imagery, interviews with key in-formants and farmers as well as detailed field surveys were carried out. Multi-temporal analyses of remote sensing imagery showed that during the seventies the average natural vegetation clearing rate increased most rap-idly and then began to slow down. Farmers are aware that land degrada-tion, in various forms, is taking place on their cultivated agricultural land. This is based on their perception and the interpretation of indicators such as weed infestation, reduced soil fertility and soil compaction. Continuous cropping, mono-cropping, rainfall shortage and the use of inferior seeds were the main reasons of land degradation indicated by the farmers. Abandonment of agricultural land to restore soil fertility is a common prac-tice among farmers in the Gadarif Region. The study proved that the sub-sequent natural regeneration of plant species and the vegetation devel-opment on abandoned agricultural land are subject to the previous cultiva-tion period and the duration of the fallow. The current regeneration capac-ity of the abandoned land may not be sufficient to reach full restoration of the previous vegetation climax except for some pockets which received more regenerative resources. Field surveys in conjunction with remotely sensed and topographic data have the potential to explain the restoration and rehabilitation patterns of degraded/abandoned agricultural land to a good extent. The findings of the study seem to be representative not only for the whole Gadarif Region or other areas in Sudan, but also for other regions in the Sahel Zone with similar problems and environmental and social conditions. One of the most practical conservation approaches is to let farmers play an active role in managing their abandoned land. Such management aims to allow for a certain level of use and benefits while maintaining the natural vegetation development on theses area in order to achieve maximal restoration. Although the study investigated the vegeta-tion development in abandoned mechanized rainfed agricultural land, a full understanding of the path-way needs surveys that include more types of abandoned land and investigation of the effects of other local environ-mental factors (e.g. fire, grazing, distance from forests etc.) for more than one season.