Description
Many people in Africa face enormous problems as they struggle to feed themselves, and to generate sufficient cash income to meet the most basic needs. Their difficulties escalate as increasing populations are forced to farm marginal land which is vulnerable to degradation. At best the overall results are static crop yields and widespread poverty. Famine, refugee problems and abandoned lands are common symptoms of our failure to practice good land husbandry, and to manage our affairs to assure a decent livelihood for the majority of rural people. This book reports on seeds of hope and lessons for the future, first setting the scene with an outline of current approaches to soil and water management in different countries and aid agencies. Then follows discussion of social, cultural and economic issues and the mechanics of participatory working, The case studies that follow are in three groups. There are examples of the opportunities and benefits of improved farming methods; case studies where an important part of the experience is stimulating community developments; and case studies with more emphasis on the methods and techniques used to promote better land husbandry. There are suggestions on vanguard research to develop methods for effective conservation farming, as well as ways to provide training and experience in the new ideas for fieldworkers, to help carry those new ideas forward.
