Economic Specialisation, Resource Variability, and the Origins of Intensive Agriculture in Eastern Africa

Davies, Mark N. O.

doi:10.16993/rl.af

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…Investment in intensification and specialization of production were only possible where fertile land and reliable water sources were present and where surplus production could be traded (Davies, 2015;Pingali et al, 1987). This occurred near lakes and rivers, foothills and highlands, wet coastal regions (Silva, 2007) and inland deltas (Arazi, 2005).…”

Section: Agricultural Systems Were Adapted To Biophysical Conditions mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world – a historical perspective

Bjornlund

Bjørnlund

Rooyen³

2020

International Journal of Water Resources Development

133

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Agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa has, in recent times, remained lower than the rest of the world. Many attribute this to factors inherent to Africa and its people, such as climate, soil quality, slavery and disease. This article traces the role of agriculture through history and argues that these are not the main reasons. Before the arrival of European traders, complex agricultural systems existed, which supported food security, manufacturing and trade. External interference manipulated these systems in pursuit of export crops. Independence has not fundamentally changed this; resource and wealth extraction continue to inhibit economic development for Africans in Africa.

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Section: Agricultural Systems Were Adapted To Biophysical Conditions mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world – a historical perspective

Bjornlund

Bjørnlund

Rooyen³

2020

International Journal of Water Resources Development

133

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“…Despite decades of research on soil erosion and land degradation [10] the problem has, in fact, worsened rather than improved, and more communities are being affected than ever before [2]. This is in part because successful implementation of mitigation measures is intrinsically linked to socio-cultural, governance and political complexities [11] and opportunities for livelihood transitions [12]. Often, when these are not taken into account, insufficient traction is gained to shift systems from unsustainable to sustainable pathways.…”

Section: Soil Erosion and Socio-ecological Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Soil erosion in East Africa: an interdisciplinary approach to realising pastoral land management change

Blake

Rabinovich

Wynants

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Implementation of socially acceptable and environmentally desirable solutions to soil erosion challenges is often limited by (1) fundamental gaps between the evidence bases of different disciplines and (2) an implementation gap between science-based recommendations, policy makers and practitioners. We present an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to support co-design of land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities and places in degraded pastoral land in the East African Rift System. In a northern Tanzanian case study site, hydrological and sedimentary evidence shows that, over the past two decades, severe drought and increased livestock have reduced grass cover, leading to surface crusting, loss of soil aggregate stability, and lower infiltration capacity. Infiltration excess overland flow has driven (a) sheet wash erosion, (b) incision along convergence pathways and livestock tracks, and (c) gully development, leading to increased hydrological connectivity. Stakeholder interviews in associated sedenterising Maasai communities identified significant barriers to adoption of soil conservation measures, despite local awareness of problems. Barriers were rooted in specific pathways of vulnerability, such as a strong cattle-based cultural identity, weak governance structures, and a lack of resources and motivation for community action to protect shared land. At the same time, opportunities for overcoming such barriers exist, through openness to change and appetite for education and participatory decision-making. Guided by specialist knowledge from natural and social sciences, we used a participatory approach that enabled practitioners to start co-designing potential solutions, increasing their sense of efficacy and willingness to change practice. This approach, tested in East Africa, provides a valuable conceptual model around which other soil erosion challenges in the Global South might be addressed.

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“…As documented elsewhere (Lane, 2011a;Crowther et al, in press), a dynamic mosaic of livelihoods including foraging, hunting, specialized herding, farming, and combinations thereof would have existed in the wider Amboseli area. Specialized relationships between farmers and herders may have even facilitated new, more intensive management and production systems by pastoralists and agriculturalists (Robertshaw, 1990;Davies, 2015). Unfortunately, compared to the coastal strip (Helm, 2000) and the Lower Pangani Valley to the south (Walz, 2010), little is known about the scale and dimensions of economic activity in Amboseli during the earliest Iron Age.…”

Section: Emergence Of Farming Communities (C 2 Ka Bp)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

et al. 2018

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This study presents a multidisciplinary perspective for understanding environmental change and emerging socio-ecological interactions across the Amboseli region of southwestern Kenya. We focus on late Holocene (<5,000 cal yr. BP) changes and continuities reconstructed from sedimentary, archeological, historical records and socio-ecological models. We utilize multi-disciplinary approaches to understand environmental-ecosystem-social interactions over the longue durée and use this to simulate different land use scenarios supporting conservation and sustainable livelihoods using a socio-ecological model. Today the semi-arid Amboseli landscape supports a large livestock and wildlife population, sustained by a wide variety of plants and extensive rangelands regulated by seasonal rainfall and human activity. Our data provide insight into how large-scale and long-term interactions of climate, people, livestock, wildlife and external connections have shaped the ecosystems across the Amboseli landscape. Environmental conditions were dry between ∼5,000 and 2,000 cal yr. BP, followed by two wet periods at ∼2,100-1,500 and 1,400-800 cal yr. BP with short dry periods; the most recent centuries were characterized by variable climate with alternative dry and wet phases with high spatial heterogeneity. Most evident in paleo and historical records is the changing woody to grass cover ratio, driven by changes in climate and fire regimes entwined with fluctuating elephant, cattle and wild ungulate populations moderated by human activity, including elephant ivory trade intensification. Archeological perspectives on the occupation of different groups (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and farmers) in Amboseli region and the relationships between them are discussed. An overview of the known history of humans and elephants, expanding networks of trade, and the arrival and integration of metallurgy, livestock and domesticated crops in the wider region is provided. In recent decades, increased runoff and flooding have resulted in the expansion of wetlands and a reduction of woody vegetation, compounding problems created by increased enclosure and privatization of these landscapes. However, most Githumbi et al.Long-Term Multidisciplinary Perspectives at Amboseli, Kenya of the wetlands outside of the protected area are drying up because of the intensified water extraction by the communities surrounding the National Park and on the adjacent mountains areas, who have increased in numbers, become sedentary and diversified land use around the wetlands.

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Economic Specialisation, Resource Variability, and the Origins of Intensive Agriculture in Eastern Africa

Cited by 24 publications

References 56 publications

Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world – a historical perspective

Why agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa remains low compared to the rest of the world – a historical perspective

Soil erosion in East Africa: an interdisciplinary approach to realising pastoral land management change

Pollen, People and Place: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

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