Settler farming, agricultural colonisation and development in Katanga (Belgian Congo), 1910-1920

From 1908 to 1920, the Belgian Ministry of Colonies organised the first state-led agricultural colonization efforts in Katanga, Belgian Congo. This article examines the complex interactions between public and private actors and how they shaped a colonial agricultural policy. Mission Leplae had a very difficult start and was terminated after ardent discussions in the Belgian Parliament, despite the support of the Agricultural Service. This migration initiative exposed the different views and even tensions between the opinions of technical experts such as agronomists and the ideas of the colonia... Mehr ...