SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa
SIERRA LEONE maq 4ª.indd - agrilife - Europa
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