FAO/SIDA Regional Seminar on shifting cultivation and soil conservation in Africa, held at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 2-21 July 1973

This Regional Seminar on Shifting Cultivation and Soil Conservation in Africa has been sponsored by the Swedish International Development Authority; it is hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and organized by FAO in close cooperation with the host country. The Seminar also obtains substantive cooperation from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. The Seminar is the answer to numerous recommendations and proposals directed to FAO during the last years by meetings of different types, by countries and persons concerned with the problems of traditional farming in relation to changing requirements. It is not surprising that the need for improvements in this field has always been emphasized most in Africa, although similar problems exist also in Asia and Latin America. At the Seventh FAO Regional Conference for Africa, held at Libreville, Gabon, in September 1972, concern was expressed by several delegates that reduction in soil fertility and soil degradation, particularly aggravated by reduced fallow rotation cycles, had reached critical extents. While recognizing that the problems involved were complex and that their solution demanded a long-term approach, the Conference supported the forthcoming FAC Seminar on Shifting Cultivation and Soil Conservation in Africa.