age in Northeast Nigeria. Political and economic transformations of the farming Kanuri societyociety
This study is based on two years of fieldwork in the Kanuri village of Marte and its vicinity, which is characterized by flooding during the rainy season. Kirscht documents life and work of the inhabitants from a local perspective - agrarian knowledge, technology, harvest, consumerism and market strategies. An agrarian calendar, based on the stars, ist described in detail. Empirical data are related to the macro level of socio-economic and political conditions of the Kanuri state of Borno, with a time range from the early 19th century to the 1990s. The author introduces his research (which is part of a ´Special Research Project´ of the German Research Council (DFG) on "Cultural development and language history in the natural environment of the West African Savannah") with a history of the Borno region of Nigeria, followed by socio-political structures in Borno and a detailed description of the village of Marte. Further chapters deal with the natural space and agrarian knowledge, focusing on agriculture during/of the dry season. Finally, economic alternatives, or agency of the farmers are dealt with, like: fields of the women, farming during the rainy season, Lake Chad as an alternative, settlement processes, and different projects with varying success. Kirscht concludes that interdependencies are complex and risk minimization or clear identification of cause and effects is difficult.
Keywords: Kanuri, agriculture of Kanuri, agrarian knowledge, natural environment, farming in Africa, risk minimization, minimization of agricultural risk
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