The archaeology and ethnoarchaeology of rain-fed cultivation in arid and hyper-arid North Africa

Abstract

Rain-fed cultivation in drylands-especially in arid and hyper-arid areas-is often considered to play a minor role in human subsistence. Drawing upon the results of ethnoarchaeological research in North Africa, this paper reviews non-irrigated agricultural practices in the absence of anthropogenic water-harvesting structures, and presents a proposal for how such practices can be identified in the drylands of the past. An improved understanding of the long-term development of rain-fed cultivation augments our knowledge of past land-use strategies and can inform future models of sustainable agriculture in some of the world's driest regions.

The Khartoum-Omdurman conurbation: a growing megacity at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile Rivers

“…Geomorphologically, many parts of the megacity are flood-prone, with new settlements built very close to flooding areas and ephemeral streams. The progressive reduction of fertile land caused by urban expansion will be a major problem for a large part of inhabitants, whose main income comes from traditional agriculture (Lancelotti et al, 2019).…”

Mapping Food Production in Hyper Arid and Arid Saharan Africa in the Holocene. A View from the Present

“…Based on these estimates, cultivation in the Saharan belt is based mainly on rainfed practices 2b and the main products are tropical fruit (date palms most probably) and some small instances of wheat, barley and rice in the desert, whereas sorghum and vegetables are prevalent along the Nile. Interestingly there seems to be no record of rainfed cultivation of pearl millet, which was the main crop we observed during fieldwork [12]. The above-mentioned issues also affect the reconstruction of grazing lands and pasture areas.…”

“…As Figure 2 shows, rainfed agriculture is extremely limited in Saharan Africa and is mainly concentrated in the Sahel, on the northern coast and along the banks of the river Nile, that is in areas with higher rainfall (and Aridity At present this area can be classified as borderline hyper arid, having an Aridity Index of 0.07. Here we recorded several instances of rainfed cultivation of pearl millet, as far as 15 km west of the river bank [12,40]. These types of cultivation are visible on satellite images, and temporal series, provided freely by GoogleEarth.…”

Confronting the Present: Archaeology in 2019

“…As part of the LandCover6k initiative, Lancelotti et al. (2019) challenge land‐use studies that characterize the Sahara of northern Africa, in particular, and drylands in general, as agriculturally stagnant zones. They use ethnoarchaeological research to demonstrate the successful cultivation of rain‐fed crops, such as millets and sorghum, in these arid regions in both the past and present, and anticipate that in the face of increasing desertification, similarly innovative and sustainable farming practices will be critical to future food security.…”