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SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa

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Figure 16. The upland-lowland continuum.<br />

Water supply: Rainfall<br />

Source: FAO (2004)<br />

Uplands Hydromorphic slopes Lowlands<br />

Rainfall +<br />

water table<br />

Rainfall +<br />

water table + floodwater<br />

Table 8. Total arable land per agricultural area in Sierra Leone (2001) & Annual average of area under<br />

production per agricultural area<br />

Ecologies Specific area (ha)<br />

% of total arable<br />

area<br />

Area Under Production Annually<br />

ha % of specific area<br />

Uplands 4 200 000 78,3 280 000 6.7<br />

Lowlands 1 165 000 21,7 155 000 13.3<br />

Lowland: Inland<br />

Valley Swamp<br />

690 000 12,9 100 000 14.5<br />

Lowland: Boliland 200 000 3,7 10 000 5.0<br />

Lowland: Mangrove<br />

Swamp<br />

Lowland: Riverain<br />

Grassland<br />

145 000 2,7 25 000 17.2<br />

130 000 2,4 20 000 15.4<br />

Total Arable Land 5 365 000 100 435 000 8.1<br />

Source: MAFFS, 2001<br />

Source: UNDP/FAO, 1979 Land Resources Survey, 1979 (in the Agricultural Sector Review – Main Report – June 2004).<br />

between uplands and lowlands and many<br />

smallholders are likely to manage plots under<br />

both ecologies.<br />

Present government policy for increased food<br />

production is geared towards rice intensification<br />

in the lowlands and tree crops and annual<br />

crops (not adapted to lowland conditions) in the<br />

upland. According to the government, agriculture<br />

in Sierra Leone is in transition moving from a<br />

predominantly subsistence shifting cultivation<br />

in the uplands to a settled agriculture in the<br />

lowlands, especially in the inland valley swamps,<br />

bolilands and riverain areas (NSADP, 2009).<br />

Table 8, provides an overview of total area and<br />

Rural poverty reduction and food security: The case of smallholders in Sierra Leone<br />

45

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