This is a study of ecological degradation and human response. The book focuses on a district of Ghana where successive waves of intensive export-oriented monocropping have destroyed both local self-sufficiency and a biologically rich and stable environment. The rehabilitation of cashcrop regions in the tropics is fundamental to the success of sustainable development. The author seeks to uncover the complex factors responsible for this degradation. He suggests a new policy framework for environmental conservation based on regeneration of the local economy, diversification of products and markets, community participation in drawing up environmental agendas and making a use of the knowledge of local farmers.