Too Many People and Too Few Livestock in West Africa? An Evaluation of Sandford's Thesis
检验桑福德关于东非大角地区“人太多、牲畜太少”的论点是否适用于西非，发现西非牧民通过三种策略成功适应了放牧资源压力，并解释了西非与东非牧区差异的原因。
We examine whether Stephen Sandford's (2006b) 'too many people, too few livestock' thesis for the Greater Horn of Africa applies to West Africa. In a comparative study of seven pastoral systems across West Africa we found that pastoralists have generally successfully adapted to pressures on grazing resources. We describe three adaptive strategies: 1) integration and intensification in the Sudanian zone; 2) movement to the Sub-Humid zone; and 3) extensification in the Sahelian zone. We end by proposing four interrelated factors that account for the differences in pastoral systems between West Africa and the Greater Horn of Africa.