Resumen de Settlements and agro-pastoral land use pattern in relation to environmental conditions in a mountain village of Lesotho
Lesotho is a mountainous country in southern Africa where the indigenous people practice both crop cultivation and pastoralism. This paper describes the relationship between the natural environment and the agro-pastoral land use of the region. To precisely clarify the rela- tionship between land use and the natural habitat, the local ecosystems near a village in eastern Lesotho were examined in detail for 6 months (September 2005 to March 2006). Temperature, soil and landform surveys were conducted. The characteristic landscape of the site was a terrace formation at about 2500 m above sea level. Settlements were located horizontally along the 2600 m contour line, separating the steep slope of the mountain and the gentle slope of the terrace. Three distinct land use patterns, each with unique environmental characteristics, were identified: cultivated fields, pastures, and settlements. In cultivated fields, the types crops cultivated and the average temperature differed according to location. Pasture areas had the most extreme maximum and minimum temperatures, and minimal soil depths. Settlements were located above a cold-air lake that formed nightly, and here the diurnal range of temperatures was the least, indicating relative comfort in these areas.
