The Nuba Mountains Region is located at the centre of the Sudan in the State of South Kordofan and includes Lagawa Province in the current State of West Kordofan. The main inhabitants of the region are commonly known as Nuba. This is a highly complex mix of people comprising 50 different groups speaking 50 different languages, who despite this great heterogeneity share a number of commoncultural practices and beliefs. The region is also host to a number of nomadic groups of Arab origin as wellas of West Africano rigin. The area has always been recognized as one of the richest and most fertile in Sudan. In the past, surplus food production was registered on a fairly regular basis, and the areawasone of the few in the country to belargely unaffected by the 1984 drought. Culturally and economically the majority of the Nuba are settled farmers. The majority of Nuba farmers practice traditional small holder agriculture having small fann areas; subsistence and labour intensive production; no use of machinery, fertilizers, improved varieties or crop protection and primitive production techniques. This paper describes different livelihoods and farming systems practices by Nuba people and examines the effect of mechanization schemes on their livelihoods.
Nuba mountains, Sudan, Sudan Agriculture, Mechanization
