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Your terroir and my ‘action space’: implications of differentiation, mobility and diversification for the approche terroir in Sahelian West Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2011

Thomas Painter ,
James Sumberg  and
Thomas Price
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Extract

This article addresses the question of whether the aménagement/gestion de terroir approach, as it is currently being promoted by government, and. development organisations in the French-speaking countries of Sahelian West Africa, is compatible with the realties that agro-pastoralists in those countries face day-to-day. It is particularly concerned with three characteristics of life in the Sahel that have important implications for how agrarian populations manage resources, and whether the terroir approach, which, aims ostensibly to increase the effectiveness of local-level natural resource management, addresses or fails to address these characteristics. First, the Sahel is characterised by considerable agro-ecological diversity and socio-economic differentiation. Second, Sahelan populations are often very mobile as a result, of their efforts to deal with changing opportunities and constraints that affect their pursuit of a livelihood. And, third, Sahelian populations commonly use multiple strategies for risk management, including, but. certainly not limited to, those which focus on the terroir villageois.

In exploring; this question the term ‘action space’ Is used to describe the geographical and temporal distribution of the combination of more or Jess viable options that, smallholder agriculturalists and pastoralists exploit, as they pursue their livelihood. The concept of action space is more inclusive and more flexible than the concept of terroir villageois; and, as such, offers greater promise for understanding and addressing empirical realities in. the Sahel.

Résumé

Cet article cherche à savoir si l'approche ‘aménagement/gestion de terroir’, comme elle est à présent encouragée par le gouvernement et les organismes de développement dans les pays francophones de l'Afrique de l'Ouest sahélienne, est compatible avec les réalites que les agro-pastoralistes de ces pays font face au jour le jour. Cet article s'intéresse particulièrement à trois caractéristiques de la vie dans le Sahel qui ont des implications importantes pour la manière dont les populations agraires gèrent J leurs ressources, et cherche à déterminer si l'approche du terroir, qui est censée avoir pour but d'augmenter l'efficacité de la gestion locale des ressources naturelles, adresse ou bien ne réussit pas à adresser ces caractéristiques. Premièrement, le Sahel est caractérisé par une diversité agro-écologique et une différentiation socioéconomique considérable. Deuxièmement, les populations sahéliennes sont souvent très mobiles dû à leurs efforts pour venir à bout des occasions opportunes et contraintes qui affectent la recherche de leur gagne-pain. Et troisièmement, les populations du Sahel utilisent communément des stratégies multiples pour faire face aux risques, y compris, mais certainement pas exclusivement, celles qui sont concentrées sur le terroir villageois.

En explorant cette question le terme ‘action espace’ est utilisé pour décrire la distribution géographique et temporelle de la combination d'options plus ou moins viables que les petits agriculturalistes et pastoralistes exploitent tandis qu'ils continuent à chercher à gagner leur vie. Le concept d'action space est plus inclus et plus flexible que le concept de terroir villageois et en tant que tel offre une espérance plus grande pour comprendre et adresser les réalités empiriques du Sahel.

Type
The ‘local factor’ in economic and political analysis
Information
Africa , Volume 64 , Issue 4 , October 1994 , pp. 447 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1994

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