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Agricultural history by region

History of agriculture in Africa

5 topics in Africa, from 4th–3rd millennia BCE to 19 June 1913: Sahel · Mali and Sudan, Nile Valley · Egypt, Inland Niger Delta · Mali, Eastern and Southern Africa and more.

Topics
5
Time span
4,000 BCE – 1913 CE
Regions
1
Sources cited
57
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters (1565): peasants harvesting wheat and resting under a tree in summer
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Harvesters, 1565 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 19.164 · public domain

In brief

5 topics from 4,000 BCE to 1913 CE. The main subjects are domestication & settlement (2), food processing (1), environment & crises (1). The earliest is Sorghum and pearl millet: African pathways to farming (4th–3rd millennia BCE, Sahel · Mali and Sudan); the most recent is The 1913 Land Act and Agricultural Segregation (19 June 1913, South Africa).

Topics in chronological order

  1. 4th–3rd millennia BCEPrehistorySorghum and pearl millet: African pathways to farmingTwo different cereals, distinct domestication regions and agricultural connections between Africa and Asia. Sahel · Mali and SudanDomestication & settlement6 min read
  2. c. 2055–1650 BCEAntiquityGrain, granaries and administration in Egypt’s Middle KingdomHarvest storage, accounts and food allocations connected Egyptian households with state institutions and mortuary cults. Nile Valley · EgyptFood processing6 min read
  3. First millennium BCEAntiquityAfrican Rice: Independent Domestication and Farmer KnowledgeArchaeology, genetics and social history reveal African rice origins and farmers’ contributions to the creation and survival of varieties. Inland Niger Delta · MaliDomestication & settlement7 min read
  4. c. 1887–1897Industrial eraRinderpest: African catastrophe and global eradicationAn epizootic that undermined many agricultural economies, followed by more than a century of work to end transmission worldwide. Eastern and Southern AfricaEnvironment & crises6 min read
  5. 19 June 1913Industrial eraThe 1913 Land Act and Agricultural SegregationThe Act constrained access to land and strengthened pressure on farming families. Plaatje and Msimang documented its consequences within households. South AfricaSociety & land6 min read

Where it happened

11Sahel · Mali and Sudan11Sahel · Mali and Sudan15Nile Valley · Egypt19Inland Niger Delta · Mali74Eastern and Southern Africa81South Africa81South Africa
Points mark approximate areas, not exact sites or the borders of ancient cultures. Base map: Natural Earth, public domain.

Browse by era

Prehistory 13Antiquity 10Middle Ages 16Early modern 7Industrial era 54

Browse by region

Asia 20Europe 34Americas 29Africa 5Oceania 4Intercontinental 8

Browse by subject

Domestication & settlement 11Land & water 17Food processing 3Technology & breeding 15Science & experiments 16Trade & exchange 9Environment & crises 11Society & land 16Crop exchange 2

Questions and answers

Which is the earliest topic in Africa?

Sorghum and pearl millet: African pathways to farming: 4th–3rd millennia BCE, Sahel: northern Mali and eastern Sudan.

Which is the most recent?

The 1913 Land Act and Agricultural Segregation: 19 June 1913; extended 1936, repealed 1991, Union of South Africa; Free State, Natal, Transvaal and Cape.

Which subjects are covered?

Domestication & settlement (2), Food processing (1), Environment & crises (1), Society & land (1).

Which eras do these topics belong to?

Prehistory (1), Antiquity (2), Industrial era (2).

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