settler economy

 

INTRODUCTION.

The settler economy involved production by foreigners who usually represented the interests of the metropolis. It was operated by European immigrants who came to settle in African countries. It was practiced in places like Botswana, Mozambique, Algeria, Angola, South Africa and Kenya.(W.John,2017).

This was the system which involved the production of cash crops at a larger scale.European and some Asiansettlers owned these large scale farms.(L. Renatus,2017).

Settler economy involved production by foreigners who had settled permanently in the colonies, It was mainly characterized by Land allienation, it favored most of the settlers in tearm of human resouses and taxation. It was done from the main interest of the colonial power. (S. Wilbert, 2016).

Settler Economy in Tanzania.

According to B.C.Nindi(1987), provide the evidence on the existence of whites settlement in Tanganyika in the area such as Iringa, Arusha and Lushoto Tanga for agricultural production. Nindi states that, European settlement of the Iringa, Arusha and Lushoto districts took place rapidly in the late of 1920's. Captain Billinge and Mr. Seaton becbecome the first British settlers to take up residence in Iringa district which had however a small number of German settlers in pre-war days.

Also, the southern African Dutch were the first to settle in Arusha at the beginning of present Century,  closely followed by a few Greeks, but the German had been established there before the British took over Tanganyika in 1917.  During that time from 1928 there were 670 Europeans in the district of whom 70 were landowner,  70 employees, 250 were women and 150 children.

In Iringa from 30 in 1920, the European population rose to  60 in 1925, 120 in 1926, 240 in 1927, exactly doubling itself annually.  On the last number 102 were landowners with about 10,000 acres under actual cultivation and a further 70,000 acres grazed by stock out of 200,000 acres alienated to Europeans.

By the outbreak of the second world war there were 1412 European in the Iringa district. Prospective settlers all over the country were recommended to apply to the local farmers Association for all information regarding capital required. Colonial Administration strongly encouraged settler production after the second world war.  Iringa town was the headquarters of the colonialists limited.

 

CHARACTERISTICS  AND NATURE OF SETTLER ECONOMY.

It was export import oriented economy settler economy specialized in the production of raw material for the metropolitan industries and importation of manufactured goods to Africa. This mean that settler economy depended up on and was responsive to the imperialist interest

Settler economy was characterized by establishment of weak and small processing industries. The few factories that were established were for import substitution. This was because colonies had to remain in producers of raw materials.

Some of the colonies were mono-culture. They specialized in the production of one major commodity for example, in Tanzania specialized in the production of Tea in Iringa, Lushoto Tanga produced sisal and Arusha produced Coffee.

Settler production was based on coercion. The colonial economies were supering imposed and the Africans were forced to produce for export rather than for their own consumption.

The  settler economy involved construction of physical infrastructure such as road and railways in order to transport raw materials to the coast labourers to the plantation and mining centre.

Colonial economy was dominated by European establishing their trade companies. These companies could open and shut any given market at well. The most notable companies include imperial British East Africa company under Karl Peters, British, Smith African Company ( amran juma, 2016).

They mostly practiced large scale farming. For instance in Iringa district 200,000 were alienated by whites for cash crops production as well as livestock keeping.

Their farming methods were mechanized: They used commercial fertilizers and applied pesticides to crops, also mashines were used such as tractors to standardize their production activities.

CONCLUSION.

Therefore before the coming of European Africans had been practicing local subsistence economies, which were geared to sustain the members of the society. Colonial economy was new to Africans. Hence African were forced to establish colonial economy. Europeans had to use different techniques, which have been categorized into three major categories namely destruction, creation and preservation.( amran juma, 2016).