Over the past thirty years, most ofSub-Saharan Africa has seen rapid population growth, pooragricultural performance, and increasing environmentaldegradation. Why do these problems seem so intractable? Arethey connected? Do they reinforce each other? If so, whatare the critical links? This book tests the hypothesis thatthese phenomena are strongly interrelated. The finding -that this nexus is very much at work in Sub-Saharan Africa -tells us that the design of development efforts must come toreflect this reality. Key links are found in traditionalcrop and livestock production methods, land tenure systems,women's responsibilities, traditional family planningmechanisms, and methods of forest resource utilization.Traditional systems and practices, well suited topeople's survival needs when population densities werelow, were able to evolve in response to slow populationgrowth. But with the acceleration of population growth inthe 1950's, traditional ways came under increasingstrain resulting in the triad of problems addressed here.Solutions are complex. Effective responses have not beenforthcoming from international and donor communities, excepton a very limited scale in a few places. This study assessessuccesful and failed interventions. With that base itrecommends concrete and implementable strategies tointensify agriculture, increase demand for smaller families,reform land tenure practices, conserve the environment, andaddress the problems of women.
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