Camilla Toulmin

Ben Wisner

Rutendo Chitiga

Towards a New Map of Africa

مناخ أفريقيا يتغير

Lorenzo Cotula

Julian Quan

Lessons from Experience and Challenges Ahead

Better Land Access for the Rural Poor

"How do people survive and thrive in the uncertain, and risk-prone Sahel? This long-term study portrays the people of Dlonguebougou in Central Mali to show how they have adapted to change over the last 35 years, shaping new strategies and finding new sources of cash. Drawing on my two years in the village in 1980-2, published in Cattle, Women and Wells ; Managing household survival in the Sahel (OUP 1992), I have re-visited the people to explore the village economy and society today. A tripling in population, unpredictable rainfall, and the arrival of the Chinese have forced people into new ways of making ends meet and building up wealth - some doing much better than others. Using a combination of infographics, satellite images, interviews and survey data, my research presents the different strategies and fortunes of individuals and their families, the search for new cash incomes, the shift of people from village to town, and the erosion of collective solidarity at household and village levels. Overall, people's fortunes have been mixed. Many people acknowledge they have become better-off, but they are no longer so rooted in the life and landscape of millet farming, which had structured household relationships and village society. Land has become much scarcer, and the villagers can no longer exert much power over the wider society and environment. In eight chapters Land, investment and migration is written in an engaging style, with plenty of illustrations, and material from interviews"--

Thirty-Five Years of Village Life in Mali

Land, Investment, and Migration

Ester Boserup

Su Fei Tan

'Boserup's contribution to our thinking on women's role in development cannot be underestimated. Her keen observations, her use of empirical data and her commitment to greater gender equality are still an inspiration to students, researchers and activists who are interested in a better and more equal world.' From the new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin 'Women's Role in Economic Development has become a key reference book for anyone - student, scholar, or practitioner - interested in gender and development analyses. This book is important not only because it provided the intellectual underpinning of the Women in Development (WID) analysis, but also because of the lasting influence it had on the development of theoretical, conceptual, and policy thinking in the fields of women, gender, and development. The re-editing of Women's Role in Economic Development, with its new introduction, ensures students, academics, and practitioners continued access to an essential reference for those interested in the women and development literature.' - Gender and Development This classic text by Ester Boserup was the first investigation ever undertaken into what happens to women in the process of economic and social growth throughout the developing world, thereby serving as an international benchmark. In the context of the ongoing struggle for women's rights, massive urbanization and international efforts to reduce poverty, this book continues to be a vital text for economists, sociologists, development workers, activists and all those who take an active interest in women's social and economic circumstances and problems throughout the world. A substantial new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin reflects on Boserup's legacy as a scholar and activist, and the continuing relevance of her work. This highlights the key issue of how the role of women in economic development has or has not changed over the past four decades in developing countries, and covers crucial current topics including: women and inequality, international and national migration, conflict, HIV and AIDS, markets and employment, urbanization, leadership, property rights, global processes, including the Millennium Development Goals, and barriers to change.

Woman's Role in Economic Development

Jules N. Pretty

Stella Williams

Continued population growth, rapidly changing consumption patterns and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are driving limited resources of food, energy, water and materials towards critical thresholds worldwide. These pressures are likely to be substantial across Africa, where countries will have to find innovative ways to boost crop and livestock production to avoid becoming more reliant on imports and food aid. Sustainable agricultural intensification - producing more output from the same area of land while reducing the negative environmental impacts - represents a solution for millions of African farmers. This volume presents the lessons learned from 40 sustainable agricultural intensification programmes in 20 countries across Africa, commissioned as part of the UK Government's Foresight project. Through detailed case studies, the authors of each chapter examine how to develop productive and sustainable agricultural systems and how to scale up these systems to reach many more millions of people in the future. Themes covered include crop improvements, agroforestry and soil conservation, conservation agriculture, integrated pest management, horticulture, livestock and fodder crops, aquaculture, and novel policies and partnerships.

Increasing Productivity in African Food and Agricultural Systems

Sustainable Intensification

How do people survive and thrive in the uncertain and risk-prone Sahel? Land, Investment, and Migration seeks to answer this question through a long-term study of the people of Dlonguébougou in Central Mali. It uses a combination of infographics, satellite images, interviews, and survey data to present the strategies and fortunes of individuals and their families in this region over 35 years. In the early 1980s Camilla Toulmin spent two years in Dlonguébougou. She has since revisited to explore how climate change, population growth, new technologies, and land-grabs have been affecting the livelihoods and prospects of local people since. Land, Investment, and Migration: Thirty-five Years of Village Life in Mali brings together her findings. A trebling in population, unpredictable rainfall, and the arrival of Chinese investment have forced people into new ways of making ends meet and building up wealth - some doing much better than others. This book presents the search for new cash incomes, the shift of people from village to town, and the erosion of collective solidarity at household and village levels. Land, Investment, and Migration presents a mixed picture of a changing society. It shows the vibrancy of the village economy, rapid uptake of mobile phones and solar panels, and increased migration. It also shows the persistence of large family structures which offer some protection from the risks that many villagers face.

Thirty-five Years of Village Life in Mali

Camilla Toulmin

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