The Region Today: Africa South of the Sahara Chapter 22 The Region Today: Africa South of the Sahara

1. The Economy Remain mostly agricultural More than 2/3 of population involved in ag. Most engage in subsistence farming, or small-scale agriculture which provides primarily for the family or village Masai (Kenya) and Fulani (Nigeria) practice pastoralism, raising livestock In forest areas, people practice shifting cultivation: farmers move every one to three years to find better soil Also referred to as slash and burn, due to method of cutting forest, burning to enrich soil with ash Once soil is depleted, move

Agriculture Others depend on sedentary farming, or agriculture conducted on permanent settlements Small percentage works at commercial farming, large scale. Grow cash crops – grown and sold for profit Largely foreign owned plantations Palm oil, peanuts

Zimbabwe: Conflict Over the Land Zimbabwe – white farmers, less than 1 percent of pop, own 70 percent of land Land reform movement led by Mugabe has led to violence, people taking over large plantations without compensating owners

Meeting Challenges Much land affected by overgrazing, and overworking soil Erosion, desertification Food production low New methods include conservation farming, land management strategies, protection of land, crop rotation

Mining Resources Witwatersrand, gold deposit 300 miles long, makes South Africa the world’s largest producer of gold SA also leader in production of gems and diamonds SA one of region’s richest countries Most mines owned by foreigners

Industrialization Most countries lack infrastructure, resources such as trained workers, facilities, equipment Educational systems still developing Lack education leads to lack of skilled workforce Civil war, conflict, corruption interrupt economic development

Transportation Region has few natural harbors for boat mooring, some rivers are not navigable Many countries in region consider roads and railroads a top priority Still developing, must cross vast distances, many projects in the works Similar problems hold back development: civil war, corruption, lack of funds

Communications Region has relied on radio Largely government owned Low literacy rates often limit use of newspapers for communication Telephone service often limited due to lack of phone lines, cell towers Only 20 internet and 84 telephone users per 1000 in region Slows rate of commerce

2. Managing Resources Famine (food shortages) affects many parts of Africa Caused by drought, civil war, etc. Over 31 million people are in desperate need of food aid

Desertification Though dry, the Sahel was once more fertile Drought and people and animals have stripped the land of vegetation, good soil As a result, Sahara desert is creeping south in to Sudan, Niger, Chad, Mali, etc. In this region, carrying capacity, or the number of people the land can support, is being exceeded Look at map of carrying capacity on p. 565, areas in dark green already exceed cc

Conflict and Hunger Conflicts halt economic growth Refugees fleeing to neighboring countries strain already meager food resources Somalia, without a government since 1991, fighting severely hampers food distribution both from farming and from international aid

Conflict and Hunger Sudan, approximately 6 million in need of food Majority subsistence farm, vulnerable to periodic drought Civil war for two decades has created largest refugee population in the world Rebel groups have taxed aid agencies, forcing many to leave UN categorizes as world’s worst humanitarian crisis Peace essential to curing food shortages

Farming in Peace: Eritrea Case Study Eritrea, crops abundant Ethiopia and Eritrea went to war over shared border People lost homes, lives Followed by severe drought Relief workers (Red Cross, Doctors without Borders) today are trying to nurse the area back to health

Human Impact: Tropical Forests 126 million acres have disappeared (2000) Slash and burn, logging, population growth, etc. Some countries have created reserves to protect forests

Endangered Animals Deforestation destroys animal habitat, or living areas Many species face extinction, disappearance from earth Infringement of farmers, cities, population growth, sprawl Poaching, illegal hunting, diminishing numbers Elephant numbers have dropped from 2 million in 1970’s to 600,000, largely due to poaching Also at risk: mountain gorilla, zebra, rhinoceros

Ivory Trade In 1930, 5 to 10 million elephants, estimate Over last century, killed by tens of thousands For: meat, sport, ivory Price of ivory soared in 1970’s, hunting soared as well As many as 80,000 per year killed In 1989, placed on endangered species list, trade in ivory banned, hunting banned 1997, ban lifted so that Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe could, supposedly, sell stockpiles to Japan Some suspected more elephants were being killed

Challenges for Future Taking steps toward better farm practices, protecting environment, resources Democratic political reforms taking place in some countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia) New laws allow crocodile farming, lucrative, has brought population back from low number due to hunting Rhino and elephants coming back due to protection by stricter laws Creation of game reserves, increases millions of tourists, brings income Ecotourism, tourism based on concern for environment has become big business