Challenging the view of European settlers, then transnational corporations and African government elites that Africa is a giant agricultural factory that is, alas, not fulfilling its potential, Howorth, a specialist in natural resources management and sustainable development, explores the idea that the peasant mode of production in the west African country has shown itself to be efficient in providing subsistence to the household and ensuring family survival. He argues that it is constantly renewing itself, modernizing, and assimilating what global development offer and so continues to be as viable as it has been for millennia. The study was originally his doctoral dissertation, and lacks an index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)