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 II. and to an individual. Thus a successful native agriculturist is ever tending to become a pastoralist, just as a successful business man ultimately is found to possess investments in the ** funds’ and to have an income and a reserve apart from his business. We know that this method of investment of surplus wealth ultimately would destroy agricultural work were it not for the fact that disease periodically reduces the numbers of cattle, permitting the over-grazed land to rest and agriculture again to flourish. The tenure of land in native reserves is of such a nature as to restrict development in one sense, whilst in another to assist it. Generally speaking a man is able to find land on which to work but, within limits, any appearance of extensive agricultural work results in the man’s activities being curtailed. With old men who appear to have control of much land the incentive to produce a considerable surplus is not great and land which may be utilised for agricultural work is frequently held up by owners for their pleasure or their livestock. Thus we have large numbers of people inhabiting our so-called agricultural reserves, viz.: Kikuyu and Nyanza, settled, many of them, on most excellent agricultural land, provided in both cases with railway facilities, served to some extent by traders, and peaceably inclined. In parts the pressure of population is very great and for various reasons the surplus population is not able to spread out over equally good land in the possession of another tribe or sub-tribe. In addition to the slowly educative forces exerted by traders and administrative officers, numbers of these people, men mainly, go out to work in areas in which European production has reached a high standard or they work in the transport, building, or household services. This ought to speed up the adoption of western methods and ideas. Kenya has for its main businesses agriculture and transport. There is no mining and practically no industrialism. It is the business of Kenya to move not only its own products, but also those of Uganda and some of those of Tanganyika. The business houses operating in these Territories are mainly conducted from Kenya. A number of native people are engaged in clerical employment and as porters in towns where large stocks are kept and broken down for distribution. A large income accrues to Kenya from these transport operations. It should be noted that Kenya Estates and Corporations operating within the borders of Kenya may not recruit labour in Tanganyika, nor are many labourers recruited in Uganda for service in Kenya. Tt is not possible then to give an estimate of the drain on Kenya's labour resources to maintain the traffic of East Africa. The number of labourers required for a fair development of European areas in Kenya 1s calculated as follows: Of the five million acres alienated, it 1s computed that not more than one and a half millions may come under the plough. Of the areas which on present information may be alienated in the future less than 10 per cent. will be cultivable. Therefore one may take the acreage of 1,500,000 as a fair agricultural development in European areas. To work this area we shall need 250,000 daily labourers. Here one assumes the progress of every type of farming, coffee, sisal, maize, ete., i For transport, household, pastoral and Government work we shall require a further 150,000 people so that we will need 400,000 men for work in the Colony. Fred Td

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