Working the Sahel

This book looks at how people in the semi-arid conditions of the Sahel cope with their harsh environment. It draws on four years of field research with farmers in the Sahelian region and builds on work with these communities over several decades. Reporting on studies of four village communities, it shows how people work to achieve sustainable livelihoods and emphasises that there can be development without disaster. 1. Introduction 2. Diversity, flexibility and adaptability 3. Four communities, four systems 4. Negotiating the rain 5. Working nature: using biodiversity and biomass 6. Making the land work harder 7. When farmers are not farming 8. Women, children and the house 9. Understanding inequality 10. Managing the managers