ABSTRACT
The Mambila 1 are skilled and enthusiastic farmers, fortunate in having an abundance of fertile land. The result is that they normally produce a considerable surplus of their two staple crops, maize and guinea corn, except in the few bad years when the rains either come very late or are otherwise inadequate. Some of their surplus grain is sold to the town-dwelling Fulani and Hausa as well as to the nomadic cattle-keeping Fulani. The demand being small, most of the surplus is turned into beer for their own consumption. It is my impression backed by statements of many Mambila informants that they could sell a far greater proportion of their grain than is actually the case and run no risk of being left with insufficient supplies for their own use.
