World Development Report 1984

Box 8.4 Africa: how much land, how many people?
A.rr,a .- lien porrra. ct1 a- an urndtrp -p
utait,d rE.o,n t , .r, crt. 'I I un-
rapp,.d Lind it i iru., that i a. :r eraic
p 'pularlln dtn,ir Is .-,i-es; it -n e,r,e
i,Ltl i A ;3a s Bujt .: n-!d rinc lhc rud-
meniar% larnlinl prictiCr in ni-ir " -
A.Irw , *.,niE .. ni n tie tr.. .br. .-... :-min, A * -
di- d:d at 1 ma,i in th, -rnfe .I hInm,id - i L i
tc-cod pr,.ducti pcritnnal Thi' ,- on.: _
'he ,ain ti,nJine; .7i the FAO . ee:unitk
j ...npleied p .,ted Land R-vuurce nortA.,.. I *l ,
II F-iur T, (;... -, -
in rii-~~ ~~~ r& ~ . *
nh -, pr.,l.J t.-: al I nr.l t: r-: n- B u I_ t h. h i
n; rndrd t--'anp-ductn r i all -.nhri: annul Fut rh. btnough' -;e .-t her
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;,i .u'..- T~i' - i
A
Aw.c:< R'r
d~.i.r n;ar,nd it niu-u :ener.:lt en'%u:h l..i.i S r " 'rn-lB ,_--_. -* -
1i mnp. r1i 1. td ' hrt ih~ pt". -- tl
Ratio t population .
supporting apactv r r: o
ii.i"
r.,
R i
.ririnuine lJ,-nd1 p.. rn crlidr ao,d r actual population .
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uriri.. ,,unfl-. crict,it:il,r,1 -l p .r', -ar-
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deniit I 4l-'rT
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t I ii-5 ft
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rin.-pp-r.-nc -F-i sne--derernined ic
Data r3i' a ait3ble |
. X,1 rid cin,-.r ...- -':r** nlii:- . n I.I; 1
irr'dm rchn,A-l-v%e - to aciu d indl Fr.:.-
e Clei p...pulai.. r.- .n c . -i --
AXlir a' a i-.h.'le .:."niirm rh, irar..
1,ur.ii , ,d. nrr. ien at 51.: larm. iub:
rlc,n t.-. ijraI- ln.. u;- , 1 terll.A'r -.r
p.> .lOde; rdricni. l .er.i ..ir:.-ri,: 5 and
in the region, but periodic sample surveys have child. The principal aim is to protect the health of
generally not been institutionalized. children and maximize the number who survive.
In the long run, social development-especially Throughout Africa, there is potential demand for
the education of women-is essential to reduce contraception to space births in both urban and
desired family size. More and better schooling for rural areas. But spacing practices appear to be
women will help to lower infant mortality, reduc- declining most rapidly in urban areas-where
ing the uncertainty about child survival which desired family size is likely to fall first. In Senegal,
keeps family size high. An all-out attack on infant for example, both breastfeeding and postpartum
and child mortality and on infertility is imperative; amenorrhea are six months shorter in the capital -
as long as fate seems to govern family size, prona- city of Dakar than in rural areas. In Lagos, Nigeria,
talist norms will be reinforced and individual traditional childspacing practices are in decline and
choice discouraged. intervals between births are shortening. Unless
In the short run, family planning services could contraception becomes a more readily available
do more on two fronts, even in the face of rela- substitute, total fertility may increase and the
tively little unsatisfied demand for birth control: health of mothers and children may worsen.
* Childspacing. Extended breastfeeding and sex- Programs in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zaire have
ual abstinence have long been practiced in Africa recently been set up to promote contraception for
to guarantee two to three years between each childspacing. In Zimbabwe, the Child Spacing and
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