Abstract
The paper deals with land use changes in semi arid Burkina Faso, specifically the issue of field encroachment on extensively used land. Some theoretical perspectives of field expansions in agricultural production systems characterised by crop-livestock interaction are discussed with reference to Boserup's theories on intensification. The empirical part provides documentation for the land use patterns and practices, based on aerial photos from 1978 and 1994 and village surveys. Answers are sought to some of the key questions presented by the ‘land use land cover change community’, i.e.: how has ‘land cover been changed by human land use?’—how do immediate human and biophysical dynamics affect the sustainability of specific types of land uses?—and how do land uses and land covers affect the vulnerability of land users in the face of change? Based on the findings, the paper proposes the notion of the expansion dilemma which questions the theory that agricultural expansion should always be perceived as a forerunner of intensification.
Published Version
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