9 Variations of ield design and crop organization in Heiban (South Kordofan): Forecast and experimentation between the wars Enrico Ille * Abstract: This article discusses the spatial organization of agri- and horticulture in Heiban (South Kordofan) through ive case studies, which cover various scales and kinds of cultivation. The discussion aims at highlighting the interconnections and gradual diferences between these cases, in order to stress the short- comings of conventional exclusionary classiications of farmers and their practices, e.g. traditional/subsistence/conservative vs. modern/commercial/innovative. On the basis of ongoing global and national debates on ‘appropriate’ agricultural development, the article contributes to the critical analysis of inluential classiications in this ield and of the policies that are informed by them. In conclusion, the article argues that without veriication of conventional assumptions, e.g. subsistence farmers’ low productivity and litle readiness to experiment and innovate, agricultural policies will be based on ictional rather than actual farmers’ practices. Given the political economy prevailing in Sudan, with dominant top-down approaches to land distribution and modernization, such policies will feed into existing conlicts and hamper the search for sustainable solutions to food production and distribution problems in the country. Keywords: agricultural development; cultivation practices; modernization; mechanization of agriculture; post-war economy; South Kordofan * Social and Cultural Anthropologist, Ahfad University for Women, Omdurman, Sudan & LOST Research Group, University of Halle, Germany.