Originally published in 1991. This project evaluates the often-retrogressive results of foreign aid to African nations, offering an anthropological perspective. The contributors emphasize integrating all development programs with regional customs and traditions already in place that have allowed people to cope with shortages.

Preface Part 1: Changing African Food Systems - Issues in Anthropology and Development 1. Donors and Deserts: The Political Ecology of Destructive Development in the Sahel Michael M. Horowitz 2. River Basin Development: Dilemmas for Peasants and Planners William Derman 3. Land Concentration, Existential Development, and Food in the Sahel Stephen P. Reyna 4. Gender, Land and Hunger in Eastern Zaire Brooke Grundfest Schoepf and Claude Schoepf 5. Profiles of Men and Women Smallholder Farmers in Malawi Anita Spring Part 2: Strategies for Increasing Food Security 6. Curriculum Development in the Study of African Food Issues at a US Land Grant University: A Case Study Della E. McMillan 7. Towards a Participatory Evaluation Methodology: The Southern African Pilot Learning Process Ann Seidman 8. Development Alternatives and the African Food Crisis David A. Cleveland 9. The Role of Cassava in African Famine Prevention Fatimah Linda C. Jackson and Robert T. Jackson 10. Seasonality of Vegetable Use and Production on Swazi Nation Land: Problems and Interventions John J. Curry, Rebecca Huss-Ashmore, Doyle Grenoble and Douglas Gama 11. The Lesson of Rwanda's Agricultural Crisis: Increase Productivity, Not Food Aid Edward Robins 12. Food, Farmers and Organizations in Africa: Anthropological Perspectives with Implications for Development Assistance Patrick Fleuret