Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1738588467

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-115043

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Place of publication:: Nairobi

Publisher:: East African Standard

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: VI, 337 Seiten; Ill.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. Agriculture

Collection:: Economics Books

PART TI. Mr. MILLIGAN thought it just possible that although questions such as the circulation of money, ete,, were ol very great importance to more advanced countries, they micht be stressed too far in backward territories such as Fast Africa.” He agreed with Mr. Simpson that the first thing to do was to make the country as self-supporting as possible: It was also probably very important to render communities as far as possible self-supporting in those places where transport was difficult. There was also the question raised, i.e., of the very great importance of alternating, and, as a representative of an export commodity, he could say that the importance of questions of tha nature was fully realised. If it was considered advisable, he thought the Conference might usefully draw attention to the dangers of over development of export crops in districts where communications were bad and also to the general question of the uneconomic principle involved in a territory growing a crop for export and paying a very high charge for the importing of a food crop which it might very well grow itseif. He did not know, however, if any advantage would be gained in emphasising these points. Mr. SIMPSON hoped that Mr. Milligan would not press the point. He had tried to make the point that people in East African Territories had to be properly fed. Where they had a crop like cotton, the larger the acreage under cotton the greater the food supply, and, in Uganda they had communal food granaries which were filled with food every year, at the harvest time. In some parts of Uganda they were liable to drought every seven or eight years and one-third of fresh food every year was put into the granaries, so that whatever happened the people had sufficient food. He thought it would be a great mistake to make any resolution, because one of the primary duties of an Agricultural Department was to produce food for the people of its own country. Mr. WORTLEY was sorry if anything that he had said should have misled Mr. Milligan. He thought the point raised by Mr. Kirby was bound to become more and more prominent as time went on, but for the present it was desirable for Governments to induce natives to produce their own food rather than to depend on purchasing it with money acquired by the sale of export crops. Mr. KIRBY welcomed Mr. Milligan’s remarks, because there seemed to be an idea among certain people at home who were interested in the production of cotton that the one aim of Agricultural Departments in East Africa should be to produce cotton, and that the value of a department depended upon its ability to make natives grow cotton. He was sure that they could depend on those present who were principally concerned with technical cotton work to Impress on people at home that food production was paramount. and that cotton growing came (possibly) next. Mr. KIRKHAM stated, as representing Zanzibar, that 509, of the total area of the Island was under cultivation and that the rest was very large coral rock. Their crop was a great export crop and they imported their food. Their transport difficulty was not great and food was landed at their door-step. He said that each Director of Agriculture knew the requirements of his own territory and could advise his Government upon the development of the country accordingly. KK

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