Choice reviews Eroding the Commonds

E. E. Beaaregard, emeritus, University of Dayton

This monograph should be the definitive work on rural development in Baringo District, Kenya, during colonial rule. Anderson (Univ. of London), author of articles on African ecology, first "reconstructs pastoral landuse patterns of the nineteenth century to illustrate that the Baringo lowlands formed part of a wider ecological system, seasonally exploited by transhumant herders."

After 1900, Tugen herders expanded into the region, but they needed the exploitation of a wider pattern of seasonal grazing. They struggled to cope with the colonial authorities' denial of access to upland areas, while colonial administrators blamed the mismanagement of African herders for the decay of the Baringo lowlands. In the book's second half, the focus is on development programs in the lowlands by the colonial state from 1929 to the 1950s to solve Baringo's alleged environmental decay.

In conclusion, Anderson demolishes the myth that l9th-century Baringo basked in fertile agriculture and that the pastures could sustain large herds. Voluminous footnotes provide excellent documentation, as does a thorough 20-page bibliography. Very useful are nine maps, five figures, 12 tables, and the index. For all interested in how a locality illuminates global trends. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division uridergraduates and above

Choice