Change in colonial Agriculture

1. Analyze agricultural policies and strategies undertaken to improve Agricultural production in the colonies during aid after the Second World War.
2. Analyze the various development schemes undertaken in the colonies.
3. Explain the objectives of introducing progressive or master farmers.
4. Discuss the reasons for introducing cooperatives and marketing boards.

There are various economic reasons that made the colonial powers to establish the colonial economy in Africa. These are the following

1. Need for markets By the late 19th century, the industries in Europe were producing more industrial goods than Europeans could consume, Industrialists encourage their government to undertake colonization in Africa in order to protect markets for their Industrial goods.
2. Need for raw material They were looking for cheap raw material such as cotton, minerals. They took material in Africa to European Industries Colonial powers were established processing Industries in Africa so that they can process material before they took to their countries. Example cotton and sisal.
3. Need for investment. They need to get Investment areas. They had large capital which made them to unable to sell their product. There was high population in Europe and shortage of land, rich people were control land where poor become landless. They were looking for areas where they can invest their excess capital; they could not invest in Europe because the markets were saturated.
4. Need for cheap labor. They need cheap labor. Industrial revolution in Europe introduced new machine which replaced human labor after abolition of slave trade. The colonial powers were searching for cheap labor. Labor was expensive in Europe because the workers were demanding for high wages.

1. Export-Import oriented. The colonial economies were export oriented because they were based on the export of raw materials both mineral and agricultural and importation of manufactured goods from Europe.
2. Monoculture economies. The colonial economies were specialized in the production of the major commodity for example Mauritius specialized in the production of sugar, Ghana, Zambia and Zaire in Cocoa now the Democratic Republic of the Congo specialized in the production of copper.
3. Manufacturing sector was small and weak. The manufacturing sector was small and weak because the colonial powers discouraged the establishment of heavy manufacturing industries in Africa. Africa had to remain a producer of raw materials and a market for European manufactured goods
4. Production was based on coercion. The colonial economy was imposed on the Africans, and they were forced to produce for the export market rather than their own consumption consequently there was no time to produce food which led to frequent famine in Africa.
5. Exploitation Land alienation. Land alienation involved taking land from the Africans so as to create room for cash crop production and mining activities. The land that was taken was the land which was fertile and had minerals in large quantity land alienation was common in settle colonies such as Zimbabwe and Kenya.
6. Taxation. The colonial economy was characterized with the introduction of taxes such as the poll and hut taxes. Taxes were introduced as an indirect way of getting labor. To get money to pay the taxes, the African had to sell their labor thus the colonialist got both cheap labor and cash crops.

The colonial economy was established through recreation, destruction and preservation.

Creation

It was a method established by European to introduce new element that were not existed in the native areas. Under creation new elements were introduced by the colonial powers on the traditional African economy. These elements include the following

1. Land alienation by occupying method and dividing land. Example: North Tanzania, high land was created as production area while south and central Tanzania were created as labor reserve. It was the fertile land and land with minerals in large quantities that was taken by the colonialists. Land alienation was common in settle colonies such as Kenya and Zimbabwe.
2. Taxation The colonial powers introduced taxation as an indirect way of getting cheap labor. To pay taxes the Africans had to sell their labor on the colonial farms, in this way the colonialists acquired both cheap labor and cash crops that were needed as raw materials in Europe. Example: hat tax, matiti tax and head tax.
3. Forced cash crop production. The colonial powers forced Africans to produce cash crops such as coffee, cotton and sisal which were needed as raw materials. The Africans produced cash crops at the expense of food crops: this explains the widespread occurrence of famine in colonial Africa.
4. Introduction of the monetary system. The colonialists introduced money as a medium of exchange: to get money the Africans had to sell their labor on the farms thus the colonialists obtained both the cheap labor and cash crops which were the needs of the colonial economy.

Destruction

Great forced labour, labour were completed to work in the colonial farmers. Forced labour was required to reduce costs that were needed in public services. Africa chiefs were forced to produce labour at low cost. The colonial powers destroyed Africans traditional industries, by this policy all industries were to remain in Europe and Africa was to be a source of markets for European manufactured goods and a producer of raw materials.

The traditional industries were destroyed in two main ways

1. Force Here different laws were passed by the colonial government that threatened the African from engaging in industrial activities for example in the Congo one would have his arms chopped off if he engaged in industrial activities.
2. Competition Here the colonial powers imported high quality' products from Europe in order to destroy the markets for the local products. They introduced processing Industries

Preservation

The colonialists preserved some elements of the pre-colonial African economies. The basic tool of production remained to be the hand hoe except that this one was imported. There were no improvements in the tools of productive force. The pre - capitalist relations of production were preserved for example the feudal relations of production, but these served the interests of the colonialists. The basic unit of production remained to be the family: this limited the division of labor and also hindered the development of science and technology.

The colonial economy refers to all production and consumption activities found in Africa during the colonial period. The Second World War which took place between 1939 and 1945 had a significant impact on the capitalist powers and they spent huge sums of money financing the war, it is estimated the loss of Second World War was 13,849,000,000. The destruction of the capitalist economies forced the European powers to introduce various changes in the colonial economy.

Colonial economy was anchored on five important sectors namely:

1. AGRICULTURE
2. MINING
3. PROCESSING INDUSTRIES
4. TRANSPORT

The main aim of colonial agricultural policy was to promote the production of cash crops for export to feed the industrial of the metro Politician states, integrate the Africans into capitalist system through growing cash crops in which they wail sell, stimulate capital investment and maximization of pro by buying African crops at low prices and paying to wages. Three types of Agriculture were established namely settle economy, plantation economy, and peasant economy.

This involved the small - scale production of cash crops by individuals for purpose of coming cash and providing food for survival colonial rule. The peasant and cash crop forms of agriculture were area transferring part of subsistence farming.

Characteristics of Peasant Agriculture

1. Small-scale land holdings dominated production. Peasant agriculture was primarily practiced on small plots of land. These land units were usually family-owned and often scattered in areas with high population density.
2. Individual land ownership was common. Land was typically owned and cultivated by individuals or family units, not by the state or large commercial enterprises. This ownership structure allowed families to manage their plots according to their own needs.
3. Intercropping was widely practiced. Farmers grew a variety of food and cash crops on the same plot of land. This method helped in maximizing land use, reducing the risk of total crop failure, and ensuring food security alongside income generation.
4. Simple tools were used for farming. Agricultural activities relied on basic, non-mechanized tools such as hoes, machetes, and sometimes bows and arrows for protection. These tools limited productivity but were sufficient for subsistence farming.
5. Scientific farming methods were rarely applied. Traditional knowledge guided farming practices. There was little to no use of modern techniques like fertilizers, improved seeds, or irrigation systems, leading to low yields and vulnerability to environmental changes.

Factors That Favored Peasant Agriculture

1. High population density restricted large-scale land ownership. In many regions, land was densely populated and highly fragmented, making it difficult to alienate land for large plantations. This condition prevented the expansion of settler and plantation agriculture.
2. Strong centralized kingdoms resisted foreign land control. Some African kingdoms had strong political systems that resisted the intrusion of settlers or foreign-controlled estates. These centralized powers prioritized local land use by their own populations.
3. Labour shortages discouraged monoculture farming. Settler and plantation economies often focused on single cash crops, which required large and steady supplies of labour. In contrast, peasant agriculture allowed for flexible labour use across various crops, avoiding the problem of labour shortages in one-crop systems.
4. Peasant farming was more cost-effective. Unlike settler agriculture, which required massive capital investment in land, machinery, and infrastructure, peasant farming operated with minimal inputs. It produced sufficient agricultural output using cheap, locally available resources, making it economically viable.

This involved production by foreigners. These foreigners usual presented the interests of the metropole (i.e. their main interest were mining and agriculture in the colonized countries). The promotion of agricultural production was to go hand in hand with white settlements in Africa, especially in those areas that were fertile.

Features of Settler Agriculture

1. Land alienation with differently issue land ordinaries, in 1900 the land occupation ordinance was enacted in Zambia. The ordinance required that Europeans who had been allocated land must occupy and use that land or otherwise they would pay taxes for leaving such land redundant.
2. Forced labour: The French, German land Portuguese follow a similar policy of forced labour and unpaid labour. Forced labour was required to reduce costs that were needed in public services. In Zimbabwe in 1897, the Nature regulation Act was passed, forcing African chiefs to produced laborers at law coast.
3. Taxation: the hut tax was introduced in Malawi in early 1890 in Zimbabwe in 1898, and in Zambia in 1900. In Kenya the Hut Tax was introduced in 1980, and poll tax in 1910. The intention of the tax was to cover administrative expansion ways by which Africans would be forced to work in European farms and mines in order to raise money to pay their taxes.
4. Use of migrant labour in plantations. Labourers were often recruited or relocated from distant regions to meet the high demands of settler plantations. These workers lived under poor conditions and worked long hours, making settler agriculture highly exploitative yet profitable.
5. Infrastructure development to support settler interests. Roads, railways, and ports were constructed mainly to benefit settler agriculture. These systems facilitated the movement of agricultural goods from farms to export points, with little benefit to the surrounding African communities.

Was a very distinctive from of cultivation in which specialized commercial crops were grown. It employed large of number of unskilled laborers who more brought to supervise and work. On the other hand, plantation agriculture extended monoculture during colonialism. In West Africa, French settlers owned Senegal groundnuts and cocoa farms. German settlers owned Do homey palm oil and the fire stone Rubber Company of the USA opened its plantation in Liberia in 1926. The other plantation in Tog were owned by the German and other in Ghana and Nigeria were owned by the British. In east Africa, Kenyan tea, pyrethrum and effect were owner by British seltters. Sisal plantation in Tanga and Morogoro are owned by Germans and sugarcane plantation in Uganda were owned by the Indians (mujidival). In Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia, plantations were by the British while in Mozambique and Angola plantations were owned by the Portuguese.

Characteristics of Plantation Agriculture

1. Large-scale land ownership exceeding 100 acres. Plantation agriculture involved vast estates, often larger than 100 acres, enabling mass production of single crops primarily for export purposes.
2. Export-oriented and market-driven production. The main goal was to meet international market demands, especially from the colonizing countries (metropoles), rather than producing for local consumption.
3. Dependence on a constant supply of cheap and intensive labour. Colonial governments supported plantation owners by ensuring a steady flow of labourers. This labour was often forced, underpaid, or poorly treated to reduce operational costs.
4. Use of scientific farming methods and modern equipment. Plantations were technologically advanced compared to peasant farms. They applied fertilizers, used machines, and followed scientific techniques to increase productivity and meet quality standards.
5. Land alienation for commercial use. To establish plantations, large areas of fertile land were taken from indigenous populations. This displacement enabled the growth of commercial agriculture at the expense of local communities.