Vulnerability and resilience are useful and fertile concepts for understanding social and ecological systems.　However, because these concepts are value-laden and difficult to measure, they are perceived as challenging not only in the practical domain, but also theoretically.　One of these challenges pertains to the insistence of some geographers that as scale-dependent concepts, vulnerability and resilience should be conceived in relation to a specific area.　Endorsing this view, we present a series of studies of one area as an example that will contribute to a better understanding of vulnerability and resilience.　In these studies, we have focused on a single rural society in Zambia in which we have had longstanding research experience extending from 1992 to 2011.　This long-term field experience enables us to analyze historically contingent changes in human-environmental relations, revealing wide ranging and frequently interconnected factors that have influenced changes in the vulnerability of small-scale farmers in this area.

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This paper discusses the development of dry season irrigation farming in the village.　I first reviews government agricultural policies in Zambia since the 1960s, which have substantially influenced farming in the village.　And then I sheds new light on the ongoing discussion on the positive effects of irrigation systems on the use of improved maize seeds and fertilizer.　“Green Revolution” types of innovations have been partially realized in the village, but that have expanded income disparities among farmers.　Consequently, farmers’ reliance on subsidized inputs has increased, which has brought about a new type of vulnerability.

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In Zambia, the development of the market economy and free trade has affected agricultural production and the rural economy since 2000s.　This paper focuses on the change in the farming from both technological and economic viewpoints.　The focus is on maize production and small-scale irrigation farming using small engine pumps in the wetlands in addition to modern inputs such as fertilizer, seeds and chemicals.　They have attained crop diversification, two crops a year of maize and high rates of farm production.　However, high-cost agricultural production may increase vulnerability of some farmers who can’t afford to pay for the cost.

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The importance of the concept of vulnerability is widely acknowledged, however it is not easy to fully understand and evaluate it because of its multi-faceted nature.　The vulnerability can only be assessed using a multi-factor approach.　This paper tries to show one of example how to explore the vulnerability of small scale farmers in Africa.　I carefully examined changes in farmers’ vulnerability in a village of Zambia based on the long-term records since 1992.　I focused on the change of farmers’ accessibility to natural resources.　The result shows that the impact of socioeconomic change on vulnerability is open to more than one interpretation, and more, changes may have counteracting effects on vulnerability through the resulting socioeconomic changes.　Thus the multi-factor approach shows us how intricate the concept of vulnerability and resilience are.

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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the prevention mechanism of abandoned cultivated land in Uwatani-district, Nsihiaizu-town. Nishiaizu-town is characteristic by the decline of sericulture and low production efficiency of agriculture and the aging of farmers. Population of Nishiaizu-town has been flowing out to neighboring cities. In addition, the road accessibility is well due to the highway system. Therefore, the children of the farmers who live outside the area can easily come to support them to farm.
There found mainly two factors that contribute to the prevention of abandoned cultivated land in Uwatani-district. First, afforestation has been carried out in mulberry fields. Because, sericulture industry in Nisiaizu-town declined in the 1970s. Secondly, the children of the farmers who live outside the area can easily come to support them to farm. The Rice farming in Uwatani-chiku is maintained by these children.
However, helping them with agriculture is limited to the individual household. For this reason, it is necessary to form a network of farming among multiple actors, including these supporting children.

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