Recent years have seen a strong interest in the problem of seasonal variation in employment, income, nutrition and sickness in rural areas of the Third World. In general the poorer and more powerless people are, the more they tend to suffer during the season of hunger and sickness. This book takes an overall view of the seasonality problem. The first three chapters consider the importance of seasonality, explore its climatic and social roots and examine the evidence as to its impact on the disadvantaged. Ways in which environmental diversity can modify the effects of seasonality are then discussed, also how societies have traditionally used such diversity for countering the challenge of seasonality. Special problems of developing countries in meeting this challenge are considered. The author is at present a programme leader for Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is, therefore, very well qualified to give a concise and up-to-date account of the problems of seasonality and agriculture in the developing world. It is a book that will be of interest to all disciplines in agricultural and related research in developing countries.

"Gill's book is a comprehensive attempt to explore the ways that seasonality affects rural families and developing economies. The book is interdisciplinary in its orientation, drawing on studies by geographers, anthropologists, economists, and development specialists...this book is useful in deepening our understanding of the complex ways in which life in rural communities remains tied to seasonal cycles. The conscientious way in which Gill has traced the implications of seasonality and its relationship to rural poverty will make it a useful reference for many rural planners and researchers." American Anthropologist

"...a very valuable contribution....generally well written, informative, and extensively referenced. The author has treated the subject comprehensively, drawing from his knowledge of various disciplines ranging from agronomy to anthropology, and climatology to sociology. I recommend this book to anyone interested in uplifting the rural poor in developing countries." S. S. Sunder Rajan, Quarterly Review of Biology