Plows, prosperity, and cooperation at Agbassa

In this study, anthropologist Dana A. Farnham examines the responses of Kabiye and Lamba farmers to animal traction at Agbassa, a sector of the Kara River Valley Agricultural Development Project (L'Operation Mise en Valeur Agricole dans la Vallee de la Kara).

The project was undertaken by the Togolese government to increase agricultural production in the Kara Region, one of the most economically stagnant in Togo. Draft technology was intended to be the chief means of achieving that goal. Using plows was a major change for both the Kabiye and the Lamba farmers. Traditionally, both groups farmed manually, and they had little or no experience handling large livestock.