Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
1997
College/Unit
Regional Research Institute
Document Number
RESEARCH PAPER 9717
Department/Program/Center
Regional Research Institute
Abstract
Between 1930 and 1950 the Kenyan colonial government began an experiment with maize by attempting to introduce it as a major cash crop in the Mt. Elgon geographical region of Western Kenya. Part of a larger campaign concerning African agriculture in general, the colonial government pursued various policies aimed at raising the price of African-grown maize and improving its production. Just as these policies began to provide an atmosphere favorable to African maize export growth, however, the colonial government reversed several of these policies. Using the case of maize in the Mt. Elgon region, this research illustrates how the failure of economic development policies in colonized or less-developed countries is often due to contradictory or unfit governmental policies. This is in contrast to standard perceptions regarding the inability of the colonized or less-developed peoples to adapt to the policies.
Digital Commons Citation
Hoskinson, Jennifer L., "Agricultural Transformation in Rural Western Kenya: The Maize Crop in the Mt. Elgon Region, 1930-1950" (1997). Regional Research Institute Working Papers. 185.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/rri_pubs/185