ABSTRACT
In Maku, an agricultural community on the southern tip of the Udi-Nsukka hill complex of eastern Nigeria, hill farmers have developed an indigenous soil and water conservation system which consists of physical (stone-walled terraces) and agronomic (ridging across the slope with ties or basin listing) measures (Floyd, 1969). There are now signs of decay, abandonment and neglect in this terrace system, which is known locally as ishi-mgboko. This chapter looks at the factors and processes that have led to the gradual disintegration of this once sustainable system.
