African Business Chronicles

Chapter 80: Agriculture

With the sweeping advancement of the "cleansing" campaign, vast tracts of land were vacated. As immigration increased in the future, these lands would inevitably be fully developed.

Currently, the agricultural system in the East African colony is still quite disorganized. Due to the scattered nature of the population, crop cultivation varies significantly across regions.

As for staple crops, there is wheat, rice, and corn. Recently, the colony has begun experimenting with millet cultivation in Kenya—an initiative personally emphasized by Ernst. After all, Kenya, especially the northern areas, is increasingly arid, and millet is an extremely drought-tolerant crop.

In his previous life, East Africa was an important millet-producing region. The climate—tropical savanna—is ideal for growing "grasses," and millet itself was domesticated from foxtail grass.

That covers food crops. When it comes to cash crops, the situation is even more chaotic. Located in the tropics, East Africa can grow nearly all tropical plants: sisal, coffee, rubber, cocoa, various fruits and vegetables...

If the colony only needed to ensure local food security, any crop could be grown. But Ernst envisions East Africa as a major development zone for the future—one that must prepare for industrialization.

And for agriculture to lay the foundation for industrialization, modern reforms are necessary to maximize economies of scale.

To put it plainly, East African agriculture must enter the global market and generate large profits to accumulate the region's initial capital.

Currently, Ernst's best model is Argentina—a textbook example of a country that rose through agriculture. Leaving aside Argentina's later industrial issues, its agricultural development alone was hugely successful. East Africa and Argentina share some similarities: both are vast and sparsely populated with extensive grasslands.

The main difference is that Argentina lies in the temperate and subtropical zones, while East Africa is fully tropical. In terms of soil fertility, East Africa is only slightly behind Argentina's black earth.

As for rainfall, both are comparable. Northern Argentina receives up to 1,500 mm per year, while the south gets around 600 mm. East Africa's rainfall decreases from east to west, with the Great Lakes region seeing a peak again—overall ranging from 600 mm to 1,500 mm.

This level is quite good globally. For reference: North China Plain receives about 600 mm per year, concentrated in July and August. In contrast, East Africa has two rainy seasons—November to December (short rains), and April to May (long rains).

Another reason the colony prioritizes agriculture is because it's relatively low-cost. With proper land planning and some improved tools, it doesn't require the technical expertise or manpower that industry does.

But to succeed, agriculture can't rely on smallholder farming in this Darwinian age—it may be self-sustaining, but it lacks the capacity for expansion and is ultimately crushed by the low-cost advantage of large-scale farming.

Capitalist agriculture is characterized by land centralization. The two most prominent modern models are the "Prussian model" and the "American model."

Both concentrate land in the hands of a few for unified management, leveraging scale to dominate markets and secure huge profits.

In East Africa, land ownership belongs directly to Ernst. Unlike in Prussia, no top-down reforms are needed. However, Ernst doesn't exploit Black laborers like American plantations, making his model different.

So Ernst decided to go with a large estate system.

All land in East Africa is Ernst's private property. Immigrants do not hold land rights; they are effectively agricultural workers on his estates.

Their pay is determined by output—more work, more pay; less work, less pay.

Based on climate and rainfall, the colony has been divided into major agricultural zones, each assigned to grow specific crops:

The western Great Lakes area, the Soren Lake area, northern and eastern Lake Malawi, the central highlands, and southern Kenya are wheat-dominant regions.

This is based on immigrant dietary habits and market demand. Both Austro-Hungarian and Chinese immigrants prefer flour-based foods. Since Europe is the main export market, wheat is prioritized.

The three eastern coastal zones and the eastern Kenyan coastal plains focus on rice cultivation.The savanna region east of the Great Lakes, the northern highlands, and northern Kenya focus on millet and animal husbandry.

Wheat and livestock are the colony's main income sources aside from cash crops. Both have strong markets in Europe. Even if Europe is saturated, Arab markets remain viable—most Arabs live off trade and pastoralism and produce little themselves.

The Far East isn't a market Ernst considers—for now, it's too poor, highly agrarian, and highly competitive.

In his previous life, East Africa's most popular crops were corn and cassava. But Ernst chose wheat for his development plans.

While corn and cassava are high-yield, they have drawbacks. They require more processing than wheat, and wheat aligns better with both immigrant diets and European markets.

As for cash crops, East Africa's biggest moneymaker is currently sisal.

Beyond sisal, Ernst is preparing to cultivate five key cash crops: oil crops, rubber plantations, tea, cotton, and coffee.

In addition, other valuable crops include cloves and pyrethrum.

In his past life, East Africa was a major cotton-producing region. Cotton is widely grown across the region, and market demand is strong. Backed by the German market, the colony can easily absorb production.

There's also a wide selection of oil crops—peanuts, sesame, soybeans, and native options like castor and sunflower seeds.

Rubber will be planted near the coast and around the Great Lakes, where water is abundant.

Tea will be grown in mountainous and high-altitude areas. As in his past life, red tea will be planted in large quantities. After all, Europeans can't really tell the difference in taste.

These are all intended for centralized production. Other crops aren't worth detailing—the climate and soil in East Africa are simply too favorable.

In his past life, East Africa also had a flower industry and produced many tropical fruits and vegetables. Ernst certainly has his eye on these, but the current technology can't support large-scale transport in short timeframes.

Even livestock farming can't yet be scaled up. While the whole region is suitable for it, preservation technology is sorely lacking.

Unless Ernst starts producing preserved meat products in East Africa—like cured and salted goods—but that will take time to implement.

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