Resource information
Over the past thirty years, most of
Sub-Saharan Africa has seen rapid population growth, poor
agricultural performance, and increasing environmental
degradation. Why do these problems seem so intractable? Are
they connected? Do they reinforce each other? If so, what
are the critical links? This book tests the hypothesis that
these phenomena are strongly interrelated. The finding -
that this nexus is very much at work in Sub-Saharan Africa -
tells us that the design of development efforts must come to
reflect this reality. Key links are found in traditional
crop and livestock production methods, land tenure systems,
women's responsibilities, traditional family planning
mechanisms, and methods of forest resource utilization.
Traditional systems and practices, well suited to
people's survival needs when population densities were
low, were able to evolve in response to slow population
growth. But with the acceleration of population growth in
the 1950's, traditional ways came under increasing
strain resulting in the triad of problems addressed here.
Solutions are complex. Effective responses have not been
forthcoming from international and donor communities, except
on a very limited scale in a few places. This study assesses
succesful and failed interventions. With that base it
recommends concrete and implementable strategies to
intensify agriculture, increase demand for smaller families,
reform land tenure practices, conserve the environment, and
address the problems of women.
