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Indications for Agroforestry

Archaeobotanical Remains of Crops and Woody Plants from Medieval Saouga, Burkina Faso

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The Exploitation of Plant Resources in Ancient Africa

Abstract

Archaeobotanical remains of a settlement mound in the Sahel zone of Burkina Faso have been investigated. The remains are charred, date to c. 1000 BP. and have provided information on the subsistence strategy of the medieval population and their impact on the environment. Apart from cultivated crops, such as Pennisetum americanum, the main staple, and pulses, the seeds and fruits of woody plants were gathered and used on a large scale. The results are interpreted as evidence for agroforestry and demonstrate the antiquity of this type of sustainable land management system.

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Kahlheber, S. (1999). Indications for Agroforestry. In: van der Veen, M. (eds) The Exploitation of Plant Resources in Ancient Africa. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6730-8_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6730-8_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3316-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6730-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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