ABSTRACT
Sudan, the largest country on the African continent, is heavily dependent on agricultural activities. Increasing population and intensive use of its land resources have resulted in widespread land degradation and a decline in agricultural productivity. The provinces of Kordofan and Darfur, comprising a mixture of arid and semi-arid areas, are typical of lands in the Sudan-Sahelian region. Overgrazing, overcropping, deforestation, and shifting agriculture have caused widespread resource degradation and declining food production. During the severe drought of the 1980s, two-thirds of emergency food aid to Sudan went to Kordofan and Darfur provinces. Long-term development of the land and increased productivity are essential to avoid repeated crises. This study examines land improvement options and farm practices. The main programmes addressed are integrated village development, rehabilitation of degraded rangeland, afforestation, and mechanized farming. Detailed financial and benefit-cost analyses are presented for mechanized farming, which offers good economic prospects for the use of these dryland areas.
