This book describes village life in the drylands of central Mali, West Africa, and how it has changed over 35 years. It explores how climate change, population growth, new technologies, and land-grabs can affect the livelihoods of village society.

• 1: Introduction to Dlonguébougou


• 2: History of Dlonguébougou and the wider region


• 3: The farming landscape: Soils, rainfall, and crops


• 4: From Abundance to Land Scarcity


• 5: People and Domestic Organisation


• 6: Investment and prosperity


• 7: Leaving the village on migration


• 8: Facing an uncertain future

Camilla Toulmin is a British economist, specialising on African agriculture, drylands, tenure and climate change. She became a Senior Associate at the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED) in 2017, after 12 years at its Director. She has been appointed Professor in Practice at the University of Lancaster's Environment Centre (LEC) and is currently an Associate at the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET). She is the author of Climate Change in Africa (Zed Books, 2009) and Cattle, Women, and Wells: Managing Household Survival in the Sahel (OUP, 1992).