The Failure of Cotton Imperialism in Africa: Seasonal Constraints and Contrasting Outcomes in French West Africa and British Uganda

This is the replication package for the article "The Failure of Cotton Imperialism in Africa: Seasonal Constraints and Contrasting Outcomes in French West Africa and British Uganda."<br><br>Abstract: <span>Cash-crop diffusion in colonial Africa was uneven
and defied colonizers’ expectations and efforts, especially for cotton. This
study investigates how agricultural seasonality affected African farmers’ cotton
adoption, circa 1900–1960. A contrast
between British Uganda and the interior of French West Africa demonstrates that
a short rainy season and the resulting short farming cycles generated seasonal
labor bottlenecks and food security concerns, limiting cotton output. Agricultural
seasonality also shaped colonial coercion, investment, and African income-earning
strategies. A labor productivity breakthrough in post-colonial Francophone West
Africa mitigated the seasonality constraint, facilitating impressive cotton production
post-1960.</span>