CHANGING TRADITIONAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THE CHAD BASIN AREA: THE CASE OF RURAL BORNO STATE

Adaptive processes in the Chad Basin area under traditional resource management systems have generally been ignored in development projects. In consequence, there has been intensification of regional inequality, peripheral dependency, and periodic food crises. A key step towards initiating feasible resource management systems is an understanding of the traditional methods of resources utilization and management, and, their changing role in the economy of the semi-arid region of Nigeria. This paper examines two indigenous practices among rural communities in Borno State, Nigeria: these are, the utilization and management of water resources and land for agriculture. The result reveals that the rural people still operate through traditional resource management systems that are fair and sustainable. However, some of the existing systems are changing due to a number of extrinsic forces, which push rural people to exploit their environment in certain ways. Policy changes and reforms in the rural areas must be practical and suited to the needs of the rural people in order to achieve the desired results.