The technological and institutional requirements needed for a broader distribution and adoption of new cropping technologies are indicated, using as example the case of changes in land use by soybean growers of the Brazilian Cerrados. In Brazil, soybean had contributed significantly to economic development, accounting for 8 percent of total exports. The current survey was conducted on a red-yellow Latosol in southeastern Minas Gerais. In 1986, 72 percent of this area was under annual crops and 11 percent under pastures.

Food shortage in sub-Saharan Africa is generally considered a function of limited access to food, with little thought to nutritional quality. Analyzing household production of nutrients across farming systems could be valuable in guiding the improvement of those systems. An optimization model was employed to analyze the scenario of human nutrition and cropland allocation in enset (Enset ventricosum)/root crop-based and cereal-based systems of the Ethiopian Highlands.

The humid tropics are exposed to an unprecedented modernization of agriculture involving rapid and highly-mixed land-use changes with contrasted environmental impacts. Afforestation is often mentioned as an unambiguous solution for restoring ecosystem services and enhancing biodiversity. One consequence of afforestation is the alteration of streamflow variability controlling habitats, water resources and flood risks. We demonstrate that afforestation by tree planting or by natural forest regeneration can induce opposite hydrological changes.

This proceeding report is divided in three sessions. In the first session papers on African forage plant genetic resources in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and the PANESA region are presented. The second session discusses forage germplasm evaluation. In this session experiences of ILCA, Tanzania, Mauritius, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia and Kenya are presented. Species involved in the studies included Brachiaria, Cynodon, Trifolium, Lablab, Zornia, Stylosanthes and Crotalaria. The third session deals with extensive livestock production systems.