Research from Amazonia reveals how it supported large farming populations in pre-Hispanic times who improved their naturally infertile soils. Modern farmers value these soils which derive their fertility in part from a high proportion of charred carbon ('biochar'). Soil scientists are researching ways to replicate or mimic these soil improvement practices to support modern farming and sequester atmospheric carbon. Unfolding research concerning these 'Anthropogenic Dark Earths' (ADE) has been confined to Amazonia. Based on preliminary observations in West Africa this research hypothesises that farmers in humid tropical Africa already manipulate soil carbon and associated ecology in similar ways. The research unites ecological anthropologists, historians and soil scientists from the UK, West Africa and the USA, and focuses on research sites in the forest region of Ghana, Liberia and Republic of Guinea. Participant observation and historical research will reveal the processes of carbon enrichment and associated agro-ecological transformation that are significant in West African farming, and how farmers distinguish, value and use these soils. Soil and archaeological analysis will discern how far such soils share characteristics with Amazonian ADE. Findings will support strategies to promote sustainable farming, and strategies to enhance the sequestration of carbon in tropical agro-ecosystems.
- Guinea: Qualitative participant observation with (a) participatory transects and (b) site visits and focused interviews. Data set is 29 ethnographic reports. 2. Liberia: Qualitiative participant observation DATASETS for Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Africa RES-062-23-2310 : Liberia James Fraser & Victoria Frausin. Qualitative data from interviews: Environmental Ethnography.docx - Data from participant observation, transect walks open interviews Oralhistories.docx – Data from oral histories GPS MAPPING : ADE site mapping.kmz, ZorzorDist_Landscape29MAY.gdb – Data from gps trackmapping of ADE sites in google earth and garmin mapsource formats LIBERIA ADE XY coordinates.kmz – Data from XY coordinates take during regional survey of Liberia TRANSECTS: AfDE Sacred Agroforest transect soil data.xlsx – Data composite soil sampling of transects VAMTransectsFINAL.xlsx – Data from vegetational transects CROP AND TREE SPECIES DATA: ETHNOVARIETIES AND BOTANICAL INVENTORIES Crop species, local and scientific names.xlsx – local and scientific names of common crops Homegardens_11JULY.xlsx – botanical inventory of homegardens Loma Tree Freelisting.xlsx – freelisting of loma tree species associated with different environmnents Loma_Ethnospecies22MAY.xlsx - ethnovarieties and corresponding scientific names LONITUDIANAL QUATITATIVE SURVEY DATA: activity data_full.xlsx – survey data on daily activities (6 months) food consumption_FULL.xlsx – survey data on food consumption (6 months) market_FULL.xlsx – survey data on sale of produce in market (18 months) trash_FULL.xlsx (18 months) – survey data on household and farm kitchen trash production (18 months) CENSUS DATA: TotalWenwutaPopulationCensus.xlsx – census data
