Multi-cropping: A land-use pattern that supports livelihood activities and prevents land degradation in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Land is a precious resource that requires adequate management attention to harness its potential of sustaining life and enhancing livelihood for all. The emergence of multi-cropping practices in Sierra Leone has negative and positive outcomes regarding environ-mental degradation. This article tries to synthesize multi-cropping land use challenges, benefits and role in tackling land degradation. The study was conducted in Mile 91 surrounding communities, Yoni Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Northern provinces, Sierra Leone. A total of 100 respondents were randomly selected and interviewed. Additional data was collected through observation, group discussions and desktop review. The study reveals that multi-cropping practices, farming and deforestation were the main drivers of land-use change in the study. The key challenges facing the sustainable management of lands in Sierra Leone are obsolete land policies, complex land tenure system and conventional shifting cultivation practices. The land ownership system is strictly communal, with only a few families owning family bushes. The influx of recruited workers from overseas and other parts of Sierra Leone has positive and negative denotation. The study found that social problems like land confrontations, increase in food prices, school dropout rate, and dilution of traditional beliefs and norms are common in the study area. It is concluded that land-use change by multi-cropping is affecting the sustainable land management plan across the country. It is recommended that the government review past land policies and land tenure systems to tackle land confrontations soon.