ABSTRACT
Sedentarization conceived as a total and compulsory measure cannot be accepted as a unique solution. It has to be carefully assessed in the light of other alternatives. Above all, its applicability cannot be judged on theoretical grounds alone and empirical studies are required before a decision is taken. As a partial solution, however, it appears to be inevitable because the survival of pastoral nomadism depends primarily on the control exercised over the size of human population in the pastoral sector. Can other sectors of the economy absorb the surplus? Will the pastoralists eventually limit the growth of their numbers to make it compatible with their desired standard of life and environmental preservation? The case studies of African countries, with which we shall be dealing in the remaining chapters, will attempt to give at least partial answers to these perplexing questions.
