Life Before the Drought

Little attention had been paid to the realities of life in the Savanna-Sahel of West Africa before the drought of 1968-74, but this book, originally published in 1984 provides a set of authoritative accounts of the way in which the inhabitants cope with what outsiders perceive as a harsh environment. The peoples of the Savanna-Sahel are shown to be developers of strategies and technologies to manage their resources. Their understanding of the environment enables them to contribute substantially to any plans for economic and ecological recovery in the region. Their cooperative modes of life lead to greater social complexity and capacity for survival. Geographers, anthropologists and social historians should find the interdisciplinary human ecological approach of the book appealing. Development economists and rural planners will find the chapters on land-use patterns, and resource use particularly valuable.

About the author

Earl Scott

Summary

Little attention had been paid to the realities of life in the Savanna-Sahel of West Africa before the drought of 1968-74, but this book, originally published in 1984 provides a set of authoritative accounts of the way in which the inhabitants cope with what outsiders perceive as a harsh environment.

Product details

• Assisted by: Earl Scott (Editor)
• Authors: Earl Scott
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Content: Book
• Product form: Hardback
• Publication date: 03.04.2024
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > General, dictionaries
• EAN: 9781032744810
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3274481-0
• Pages: 208
• Series: Routledge Library Editions: Women and Religion; Routledge Library Editions: Water Resources
• Subjects: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography, SCIENCE / Earth Sciences / Geography, 20th Century, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Human Ecology, North Africa, Biogeography, Human Geography, Regional Geography, The Sahel, Land use change, Environmental adaptation, rural development strategies, resource management Africa, social organisation West Africa, pre-drought Sahel livelihoods