ECOLOGY AND CHANGE IN THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM OF THE KAONDE OF NORTHWESTERN ZAMBIA

The Kaonde inhabit the savanna woodland plateaus of the Northwestern P rovince of Zambia. Primarily subsistence farmers, they have developed an agricultural system that consists of a chitemene form of long fallo w cultivation and various forms of continuous cultivation. The differe nt cultivation systems involve the exploitation of different environme ntal locations, where they are characterised by different agricultural practices and crop assemblages. Spatial variations in agricultural la nd use reflect locally varying environmental conditions. Given the pre valence of the tsetse fly, the Kaonde do not raise livestock, but over the last two decades some Kaonde farmers have engaged in fish-farming as a dietary supplement and cash crop. The Northwestern Province is t he least populated, least developed, and most rural province in Zambia , yet recent population growth, notably in the close-settled zone arou nd Solwezi Township (the provincial capital), has led to changes in th e Kaonde agriculture system. Population pressure has led to the shorte ning of the fallows associated with long fallow cultivation, and an in creased emphasis on existing forms of continuous cultivation. In a mod ified fashion, changes in Kaonde agricultural practices support the ma in contention of the Boserup theory that increases in population lead to the intensification of agriculture.