Throughout the developing world, governments have instituted large irrigation projects and new land policies in hopes of increasing food production. Although this goal often has been achieved, a consequence of these policies has been a disruption of traditional land-tenure practices and a degradation in the quality of the land itself. This doctoral dissertation research project will analyze the processes of tenure-system change and land degradation in the Senegal River Valley of Damga province in northern Senegal. Patterns of tenure change and land degradation will be documented and analyzed using a variety of data sources, including published and archival records, field observations, soil tests, geneological studies, aerial photographs, interviews, and oral histories. Qualitative analyses of physical conditions and of historical and cultural attributes will permit refinement and testing of a model that focuses on how individuals and groups relate to and make decisions about land and related natural resources. This research will provide a well-constructed and thoroughly documented case study of how persons engaged in cultivation and pastoral activities respond to changes in land-tenure systems. This case study will enhance theoretical understandings about this topic, and it will provide an excellent opportunity for a promising graduate student to expand and refine her basic research skills.
