COOPERATIVES, INITIATIVE, PARTICIPATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGE IN THE SAHEL

Some theorists of development have reached that conclusion. Others take the viewpoint that there are a variety of paths to development, and that one should expect to find greater variability in the responses of rural peoples. The author of this report aligns himself with the latter viewpoint, emphasizing that the Sahel has never been an unchanging area. In fact, indigenous initiative is just as characteristic of the Sahel as stability and tradition. Examples include the introduction of new products such as the kola nut into the Central Sudan by the Wangara merchants, the spread of pastoralism, and the development of gardens by West Africans to meet the demand of Europeans for a variety of vegetables. In addition, the report focuses on the role of cooperatives and the degree of local participation generated by them. Experiences in Senegal, Mali, and Niger are related through quotations from a number of studies. The author concludes that cooperatives have not promoted the goal of increased equality and participation of the poor -- instead, the hold of existing political and economic structures upon the poor has been intensified. The report includes footnotes and a bibliography (129 entries, 1952-78).