Cattle, Women, and Wells Managing Household Survival in the Sahel

Camilla Toulmin, Professor, Lancaster University

Camilla Toulmin is a British economist, specialising on African agriculture, drylands, tenure and climate change. She became a Senior Associate at the International Institute for Environment & Development (IIED) in 2017, after 12 years as its Director. She has been appointed Professor in Practice at the University of Lancaster's Environment Centre (LEC) and is currently an Associate at the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET). She has recently completed her term as Fellow of the Open Society Foundation (OSF). In her roles as Associate and Professor, she is engaging in a series of research, board and advisory activities, building on 40 years' work at the interface between the environment and development, and spanning local and global scales.

1. Introduction
Part I: The Village Setting
2. Background to the Village of Kala
3. Climate, Cultivation, and Household Income
Part II: Farm Production
4. The Farming System
5. Millet-production Analysis
6. Returns to Farming
Part II: Farm Investment
7. Introduction
8. Well-digging
9. Oxen Plough Teams
10. Investment in Cattle-breeding Stock
11. Farm-investemnt Strategies
Part IV: Managing the Family
12. Fertility and Child-rearing
13. Marriage
14. Bambara Household Organization
Part V: Conclusions
15. Conclusions
Appendix: Levelling Mechanisms within Bambara Society