How do people adapt and survive in the harsh environment of the drought-prone Sahelian region, south of the Sahara desert? This work examines choices facing farmers in this region, and includes a discussion of crop choice, attempts to improve yields, investments in equipment, and the effects of these decisions on family and household organization.

• 1: Introduction


• Part I: The Village Setting


• 2: Background to the Village of Kala


• 3: Climate, Cultivation, and Household Income


• Part II: Farm Production


• 4: The Farming System


• 5: Millet-production Analysis


• 6: Returns to Farming


• Part II: Farm Investment


• 7: Introduction


• 8: Well-digging


• 9: Oxen Plough Teams


• 10: Investment in Cattle-breeding Stock


• 11: Farm-investemnt Strategies


• Part IV: Managing the Family


• 12: Fertility and Child-rearing


• 13: Marriage


• 14: Bambara Household Organization


• Part V: Conclusions


• 15: Conclusions


• Appendix: Levelling Mechanisms within Bambara Society

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 as 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 has recently completed her term as Fellow of the Open Society Foundation (OSF). In her roles as Associate and Professor, she is engaging in a series of research, board and advisory activities, building on 40 years' work at the interface between the environment and development, and spanning local and global scales.