essay

Processes and limitations of Dogon agricultural knowledge

anthropological critique of development: the growth of ignoranceLondon • Published In 1993 • Pages: 43-60

By: Beek, W. E. A. van.

Abstract
In this article, van Beek discusses traditional Dogon agricultural practices and the changes subsequent to their migration out onto the plain. Traditionally extended family groups worked fields closest to the escarpment, whereas bands of men in the same age-class worked fields further out, which were more vulnerable to slave raiders. Old men controlled the whole production process. The Pax Gallica opened the plains and the plateau above to settlement and land reclamation. After the Second World War, the migration increased and a lucrative market in onions developed. Between 1900 and 1970, the Dogon population increased three-fold and the region became overcultivated, a condition exacerbated by the great drought of the 1980s. Van Beek argues that the Dogon have continued to operate according to a general view of unlimited resources, invoked by past images of the endless emptiness of the plains below the cliffs. This cultural lag prevents Dogon adaptation to scarcity, imperiling their ecosystem and survival.
Subjects
Tillage
Agricultural science
Vegetable production
Environmental quality
Production and supply
culture
Dogon
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Western Africa
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 1999
Field Date
1979-1991
Coverage Date
1500-1990
Coverage Place
Bandiagara escarpment, Mali
Notes
Walter E. A. van Beek
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60)
LCCN
92045834
LCSH
Dogons (African people)