Browsing by Author "Crane, T."

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    Ethnopedology in central Mali
    Crane, T. (2001)
    Research was done on local classifications of soils and conceptions of soil fertility management in Madiama, the SANREM-Mali site. While the local typology reveals a continuum between sandy, clayey and rocky soils, a typology of soils alone is insufficient in understanding the local classification system. Landscape and hydrological features, such as subtle elevation changes and type of water present (rain vs. river), affect understanding of fields and subsequent management strategies. Conceptualizations of soil fertility are based primarily on the application of animal manure, the quality of which varies with animals diets and physiology. This in turn gives rise to a model of ecological process that considers interactions between humans, cattle, crops, trees, and abiotic elements within the landscape.
  • Farmers' knowledge and perceptions of soil fertility
    Crane, T.; Traoré, Boureima (Wallingford, Oxon; Cambridge, Mass.: CABI Publishing, 2005)
    In chapter 10, Crane and Traore compare indigenous perceptions and models of soil fertility management with those of modern soil science. The differences between these perspectives are discussed along with the cultivators' perceptions of the scientific research conducted in Madiama. The authors argue for implicating end users in technology development from the beginning so that folk knowledge can guide scientific research and research findings can be better communicated to farmers to increase productivity.
  • Fielding climate change: The role of anthropology
    Roncoli, ‪Carla; Crane, T.; Orlove, B. (Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc., 2009)
    Cultural anthropologists have become engaged in climate change research. Three conditions have led to this development including: the transformations that climate change is bringing to people, the recognition of the importance of research on the human dimensions of climate change, and the growing opportunities for anthropologists to participate in interdisciplinary climate adaptation research. Anthropology's study of climate change will help research the cultural meanings and social practices which cannot be captured by other disciplines. This chapter presents a number of anthropological studies, with identified epistemological and methodological approaches, that have led to particularly valuable insights. Four over-lapping axioms help explain how people comprehend climate change: how people perceive climate change through cultural lenses; how people comprehend what they see based on their mental models and social locations; how they give value to what they know in terms of shared meanings; and how they respond, individually and collectively, on the basis of these meanings and values. It is argued that anthropologists researching climate change are both challenged to broaden their field horizons and stand firm in their tradition of committed localism.
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    Grounded in the landscape: Eliciting farmers' understanding of soil and soil fertility, Mali (West Africa)
    Crane, T. (Watkinsville, GA: SANREM CRSP, 2002)
    In order to develop convincing messages and sustainable interventions, it is necessary to understand how farmers themselves perceive soil conditions and how these perceptions influence their soil management and land use decisions. This brief illustrates an ethno-scientific methodology for eliciting farmers' conceptualization of soil and soil fertility.