Although animal traction in Africa is a subject of considerable interest in terms of sustainable development, most literature concentrates on its technological aspects rather than on contexts of use. Surveys carried out from 1986 to 1991 across a broad region of northern Nigeria have mapped the distribution of different types of traction, with a view to establishing some parameters leading to its adoption and analysing the constraints on its further spread.

This study is divided into two major sections (see Foreword). The first part (chapters 1-3) gives the general background to animal traction in Nigeria, enumerating the principal species used and the different types of use to which they are put. The second part (chapters 4-6) describes a major study of the constraints on adoption of animal traction and concludes with general recommendations as to further research and policy reorientation.