Originally published in 1990. This is the first part of a project dealing with the long-term food crisis in Africa primarily at the level of local production. It offers anthropological and ecological views on the cause of the problem and on coping strategies used by both indigenous people and developmental planners.

Foreword. Preface Part 1: Introduction 1. Perspectives on the African Food Crisis Rebecca Huss-Ashmore Part 2: The Context of Food Stress in Africa 2. Drought, Famine, and the Seasons in Sub-Saharan Africa Michael H. Glantz 3. Desertification: The Public Record J. A. Mabbutt 4. Desertification: The Historical Significance Brian Spooner 5. The Persistence of Nutritional Stress in Northeastern African (Sudanese Nubian) Populations Debra L. Martin, George J. Armelagos, and Kay A. Henderson 6. Ecology and Politics of Food Availability Ellen Messer 7. Prevention of Famine John R. K. Robson Part 3: Strategies for Coping with Drought, Hunger, and Famine 8. Indigenous Taita Responses to Drought Anne Fleuret 9. Occupation and Drought Vulnerability: Case Studies from a Village in Niger John J. Curry 10. Adaptation, Drought, and Development: Boran and Gabra Pastoralists of Northern Kenya Asmarom Legesse 11. Indigenous Institutions and Adaptation to Famine: The Case of the Western Sudan Soheir Sukkary-Stolba 12. Famine, Hunger Seasons, and Relief-Induced Agonism Robert Dirks 13. Drought, Drought Relief, and Dependency among the Basarwa of Botswana Robert K. Hitchcock, James I. Ebert and Richard G. Morgan