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Titre La colline et le marais. La gestion des bassins versants au Burundi et au Rwanda
Auteur Lidia Meschy
Mir@bel Revue Etudes rurales
Numéro no 115-116, 1989 Hydraulique
Rubrique / Thématique
Génie rural et génie paysan. Sociétés rurales et techniques hydrauliques en Afrique
Page 129-151
Résumé anglais Hills and Lowlands. Managing Catchment Basins in Burundi and Rwanda In Burundi and Rwanda, the layout of fields in the lowlands suggests a collective management of land and water resources in each valley. But this is not so. Land is used on an individual, sometimes precarious, basis with no regard for neighbors and as a function of biotopes, the lowlands being complementary to the hills. In the lowlands, the interventions of local and then colonial authorities disturbed the peasant system and eventually made it diversify and improve. Knowledge of the history of land use makes us cautious about adopting the theory linking population size to agricultural progress ; it also helps disprove the reputedly foreign origin of certain techniques. The first travelers mentioned farms in the lowlands and, more importantly, an astute (no longer existent) system of irrigation on the slopes. Has this heritage been taken into account during recent transfers of "efficient" techniques ?
Source : Éditeur (via Persée)
Article en ligne http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rural_0014-2182_1989_num_115_1_3258