Field expansion and reallocation in the Sahel - land use pattern dynamics in a fluctuating biophysical and socio-economic environment

The paper addresses the dynamic relationship between the human use of land and alterations in the biophysical environment, demographic pressure or socio-economic conditions. An empirical study from the Sahelian zone in northern Burkina Faso illustrates the dynamics of cultivation pattern at the village level and the changing priorities given to different landscape units over time. Field measurements, aerial photos and satellite images from seven successive years provide information on land use pattern changes from 1945 to 1995, A household survey illustrates how socio-economic and cultural parameters enable and constrain land use strategies at the farm level. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.