This book embodies work stretching over a fifteen year period. As a result· inevitably we are greatly indebted to a number of institutions and a large number of individuals. Over the years considerable administrative and financial help was provided by the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, the Ministries of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the northern states of Nigeria, the Ford Foundation, and more recently, Kansas State University.

Farming Systems of the African Savanna: A continent in crisis

Cover Crops in West Africa Contributing to Sustainable Agriculture

A joint FAO and World Bank study which shows how the farming systems approach can be used to identify priorities for the reduction of hunger and poverty in the main farming systems of the six major developing regions of the world.

Presenting the case for a farming systems approach to research in developing countries, this book considers the role of new technology and appropriate development strategies in improving agricultural production and the welfare of farming families in the semi-arid tropical region of West Africa.

Some general charscteristics of farming in a tropical environment; Shifting cultivation systems; Fallow systems; Ley systems; Systems with permanent upland cultivation; Systems with arable irrigation farming; Systems with perennial crops; Grazing systems; General tendences in the development of tropical farm systems.