The Impact of Slavery and Colonialism

This research paper examines how slavery, imperialism, and colonialism fundamentally altered African agriculture by depleting the productive labour force, displacing indigenous crops with export commodities, and establishing land tenure systems that favoured European settlers and firms.

• Slave trades from the mid-7th to the 19th century, including indigenous, Arab, European, and Transatlantic trades, severely hindered African agricultural development. The removal of productive labour left behind the elderly, disabled, and young, preventing the systematic development of farming and herding and stalling the maturation of social, political, and economic systems necessary for technological and productivity gains.
• Following the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, European colonialism transformed Africa into a source of raw agricultural products for factories in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain. This shift involved introducing export-oriented crops like sesame and peanuts, which replaced dietary staples such as sorghum and millet, thereby reducing domestic food security.
• Colonial land policies dispossessed indigenous populations by designating large areas as 'terra nullius' (unoccupied land) to reserve formal property rights for European firms and settlers. Remaining agricultural land was often placed under 'customary' tenure, which allowed for use but not ownership and left the land subject to state seizure.
• The development of colonial road and rail infrastructure was designed specifically to transport raw materials from productive areas to the coast for shipment to Europe. This infrastructure focus marginalized or destroyed regional trade and domestic agricultural sectors, displacing indigenous food trade with commodities that benefited industrializing European economies.

APA

le Roux, A., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The Impact of Slavery and Colonialism. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=02-impact-of-slavery

Chicago

le Roux, Alize, and Jakkie Cilliers. The Impact of Slavery and Colonialism. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=02-impact-of-slavery.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=le Roux |first1=Alize |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=The Impact of Slavery and Colonialism |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=02-impact-of-slavery |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leroux2026impact, author = {le Roux, Alize and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{The Impact of Slavery and Colonialism}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=04-agriculture&topic=02-impact-of-slavery}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }