African Business Chronicles

Chapter 38 – Land Reclamation

While fierce fighting raged between Prussia and Austria, the East African colony's Coastal District had already cleared out all remaining native tribes. Aside from those sold to Zanzibar's slave traders, a portion of the captives were kept as heavy laborers. The rest were rearmed with their own weapons and released.

But this "mercy" wasn't out of kindness. These natives, now terrified of the colony's military strength, dared not return. They could only flee west or north, where they would inevitably clash with other tribes. Armed, hungry, and homeless, they would likely spark conflicts over food and territory. When the dust settled, the East African colony would swoop in and claim even more land.

Whether those displaced tribes could even survive was uncertain—but it didn't matter. The goal was simple: reduce the native population.

Of course, the newly acquired lands couldn't be fully cultivated right away. But areas around new settlements, particularly those with reliable water sources, could be developed first. Although the Coastal District had plenty of rainfall, the colony's small population and limited farmland meant it was smarter to build near rivers and avoid depending on the weather.

Being near the Indian Ocean, the Coastal District's climate was humid and warm—perfect for rice cultivation. Thus, rice became the primary crop here. Wheat, which suffered under high temperatures, was better suited for the drier highlands further west.

That western region had less rain and was more suited for drought-resistant crops like wheat and millet.

Sisal remained the colony's flagship cash crop. East Africa was naturally suited to many tropical commodities like cotton, bananas, rubber, and coffee, but sisal grew best and had the most reliable market. Other crops faced intense global competition.

Another key product was cloves—famous thanks to the Zanzibar Sultanate's production. Given its proximity to Zanzibar, the Coastal District also invested in clove farming.

Although clove yields were low, there was no shortage of buyers. Using Dutch ships, the colony regularly shipped cloves back to Europe.

Now, the colony was seeing more oxen and horses used for plowing. As horse numbers grew, supporting equipment like plows was rolled out.

Horses also improved communication. What once took months to relay between outposts now took only a couple of weeks. Thanks to horses, exploration missions extended into Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Unlike ancient East Asia, where warhorses were scarce, Europe had embraced horse-drawn farming, making horses a staple of daily life and encouraging people to raise them. As a result, oxen became less critical and were more often used for meat. Europeans loved beef and dairy, in part because their cooking techniques didn't handle pork well (they didn't castrate boars, so the meat often smelled bad and required heavy seasoning).

Though pork was still popular in Germany, the wider European preference leaned toward beef—simple to cook, delicious with just butter and salt.

In East Africa, Ernst promoted horse plowing. Cattle were primarily raised for meat. The Maasai people, who relied on cattle herding for survival, were a model for how livestock could support life here.

Using horses meant the colony needed even more of them. Horses weren't just for farming—they were vital transportation. With no real infrastructure, East Africans mostly traveled on foot. Only a few German officers had mounts.

Luckily, East Africa's flat terrain was ideal for horses. The more horses, the better.

In Manda, the northernmost point of the Coastal District, smoke now rose from kitchen fires as settlers prepared meals.

Nearby fields had already been tilled. Waterwheels drew water from nearby rivers into the paddies. The entire area was laid out with irrigated farmland.

Most plowing was done with horses, though some still used natives for labor.

Part of the land was already planted; other sections were being prepped. To the east lay a hilly zone now covered in sisal. From a distance, the neatly lined plants looked like the terraced tea fields of East Asia.

Recent weather had been good—rainfall came regularly and on time. That was one benefit of the Indian Ocean. Unlike East Asia, which was vulnerable to the El Niño and La Niña phenomena of the Pacific, East Africa had more predictable rainfall.

Here, climate patterns were driven mainly by shifting trade winds. Every year, those winds brought two rainy seasons to East Africa. Coastal areas like the Coastal District were also influenced by ocean currents.

Without the Somali cold current, East Africa might even get monsoon-like rainfall similar to northeast India.

This climate stability made agriculture easier to manage. The colony had already developed a seasonal farming calendar to guide new immigrants through planting and harvest.

Due to growing unrest in East Asia—especially in the north—immigration to East Africa was rising rapidly.

In the north, inspired by the "Rush to the Northeast," Chinese migrants had two options: go inland to Manchuria or overseas.

For overseas options, East Africa had become the best choice. Ernst had built the infrastructure early on, and because the northern provinces had less exposure to foreign influence than the southern coastal regions, Ernst's immigration network there was larger and more established.

In the south—especially the southeastern coast—many people went to Southeast Asia or the Americas, often in family or clan groups. That made them tightly knit communities abroad, but also highly prone to infighting.

Chinatowns formed, and rival clans clashed over shared resources—sometimes more violently than they did at home. This was one reason Ernst avoided recruiting southern migrants.

He wanted obedient farmers, not tightly organized factions. In the East African colony, even though there were many Chinese immigrants, they were leaderless—scattered and manageable. Ernst liked it that way.

While the German Empire and Austria waged war in Europe, East Africa remained peaceful.

Everyone in the colony was working hard: building homes, developing farmland, digging canals, laying roads, and raising livestock.

Step by step, a thriving agriculture-based colony in East Africa was taking shape.

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