AGRICULTURE— GENERAL 3O3 



the native peoples. In such cases, the native has to be taught 

 methods which are hkely to be successful in his hands from the 

 beginning. 



In applying new or improved methods among native agricul- 

 turists, a major question is whether or not some form of compulsion 

 is justified or even effective. As a rule, in British territories, every 

 effort is made to avoid compulsion, but there are certain cases where 

 it appears to be justified. For example, where a new crop of known 

 value and suitability is to be introduced in an area, some compul- 

 sion in the initial stages may be the only way of demonstrating to 

 the farmers the advantages which they themselves can derive from 

 its cultivation. Again in the control of certain pests and diseases, 

 measures may have to be enforced on all farmers, irrespective of 

 race, in order to protect the careful farmer from his neighbour's 

 neglect. Such cases are covered by agricultural pests and diseases 

 ordinances. In certain colonies, moreover, compulsory measures 

 against soil erosion, made appHcable to natives, may have resulted 

 in a greater advance in the lay-out of native than of non-native 

 farms. In the opinion of some authorities the only way to make 

 real advance in some forms of indigenous agriculture is by com- 

 pulsion on a large scale, as in the compulsory system employed 

 with success in the Congo (see later), and the proposed compulsory 

 culling of stock to reduce over-grazing in East Africa. If it is pos- 

 sible to generalize about so complicated a question, it may be 

 claimed that at least in British territories it is the aim to improve 

 native methods by education and only to employ compulsion where 

 all else has failed. In some non-British territories direct compulsion 

 is more often used, with the consequence that results are produced 

 more rapidly and more cheaply, but perhaps they are not so satis- 

 factory in the long run. 



It is a simple truth, realized by all concerned, that the principal 

 factor retarding native agricultural improvement is a lack of 

 balanced knowledge concerning conditions of native life. Modern 

 anthropology helps to fill this gap, but for the practical advances 

 in view recent work in this field does not appear always to lay suf- 

 ficient stress on the material background of man's environment. 

 There is general agreement as to the importance of agricultural 

 advance among Africans, as a basis for general improvements in 



