The contributions of field research in the Gambia to the study of human adaptability

Abstract

Abstract It is one of the ironies of human adaptability research in Africa that some of the most interesting work has been carried out by investigators whose primary interest was not in human adaptation. The contributions that nutritionists, ecologists, and economists have made to human biology in African agricultural and pastoral societies have been considerable, nowhere more so than in the extensive programme of research undertaken in the Gambia since 1945. The Gambian research programme is interesting in the present context for three reasons. First, a massive volume of research has been carried out in this one very small country, encompassing child growth, nutrition, and infectious disease, as well as maternal health and nutrition and the energy costs of pregnancy, lactation, and agricultural work. Second, none of the researchers were anthro pologists or human biologists with a primary interest in human adaptability. Third, despite this, and despite the applied nature of the work, many of the questions investigated were framed as problems in adaptation.