Abstract
The most noticeable consequence of the various strategies for farming the forest is prolonging production throughout the yearly cycle, thus ensuring a permanent food supply. The lean period, a constant problem all over the dry tropics, does not exist in the forest because there is no single harvest season and very little food storage. This does not eliminate the need for an annual cycle of agricultural work, since cultivators must clear the land and also plant, at appropriate times, short-cycle crops such as groundnuts, gourds and various vegetables. The great number of varieties that are mixed in the same field allows cultivators to cope with climatic adversities and sundry parasites by distributing risks. Thus the aim is not to maximize yields, but to achieve a sustained production of complementary foods.