African Environment and Development: Rhetoric, Programs, Realities

William G. Moseley, Macalester College
B. I. Logan, Penn State University

Abstract

This volume explores the connections between African rural livelihoods, environmental integrity, and broader scale political economy. The book is organized under three main themes relating to this goal: the influence of global environmental narratives in the African context; the implications of regional political economy for rural African livelihoods; and the empirical manifestations of contemporary conservation and development principles through policy and programmes at the community, national, regional and global levels. Including case studies from Southern, West and East Africa, the book examines a wide range of livelihood activities (pastoralism, farming, gardening, and hunting) and environmental issues (e.g., dam projects, cash cropping, burning practices, civil war, pesticide use, oil exploitation, community-based natural resource management, and transnational parks). The studies demonstrate the necessity of grounding environment and development policy discussions within a broader understanding of the economy, history, politics, and power. The book has 12 chapters and a subject index.