DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE CROPPING SYSTEMS IN THE NIAYES ZONE OF SENEGAL

The importance of vegetable crops has been increasing in West Africa f or the past forty years. This paper describes the evolution of intensi ve mixed vegetable production in the Niayes area near Dakar between 19 70 and 1990. The importance of cultivation in low-lying areas with ver y few inputs have decreased but irrigated cropping systems have become more important due to the better adaptation of vegetative material, a pplication of more fertilizers and better control of pests and disease s. This intensification appears to be irreversible, in spite of the ne gative effects of the more intensive use of land.