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I. RE-THINKINGBIODIVERSITY
INFORESTANDFIELD
ColonialMaizeandClimate:
LimitsofAgriculturalDevelopmentfor
AdaptationinRiftValley,Kenya
William Collier, MESc 2010
Introduction
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systems in Sub-Saharan Africa. Increased variability
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variability and temperature in the Rift Valley will
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Pre-colonial agrarian history
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Rift Valley have provided fertile soils and favorable
climatic conditions to farmers for thousands of years.
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tremendous varieties of millets and tubers, a stark
contrast to their famous nomadic contemporaries, the
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cultivation practices is sparse, it is clear that
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trade in foodstuffs between different tribes in the
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Tropical Resources Bulletin 11
William Collier
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Colonial rule and New World crops
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Figure 2. Desiccated
maize field, Moiben
Division, Rift Valley,
Kenya. A field of maize
intercropped with beans
is withering due to
insufficient rains. Photo
by William Collier.
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William Collier
Figure 4. Home
garden in Moiben
Division, Rift Valley,
Kenya. This small
home garden -containing pumpkin,
kales, cassava,
maize, and bananas
-- provides a diverse
source of subsistence
for smallholder
farmers during
drought and climate
variability. Photo by
William Collier.
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also provide a window into the broader history of
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environmental conditions, these crops exhibit a variety
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anticipated to exacerbate food insecurity, there will
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economic, environmental, social, and political
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scientists and policy planners have heralded the
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for farmers to rely on and develop their own resources
despite the transformations of the colonial experience
(Dove 1990).
Acknowledgement
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support of the Yale Tropical Resources Institute, the
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