Swynnerton Plan

The Swynnerton Plan was a colonial agricultural policy that appeared as a government report in 1954 in Kenya. It aimed to improve farming practices in the Kenya Colony by helping local farmers grow more cash crops. The plan wanted to make sure farmers had better markets, better roads, and the right tools to grow their crops.

The idea was to help Kenyan farmers sell their crops more easily and get what they needed to farm well. The plan also talked about organizing land so that farms could be bigger and more productive over time. This was all part of trying to make agriculture stronger and more successful in Kenya.

Overview

Roger Swynnerton was an official in the Department of Agriculture. The main goal of his plan was to help families grow enough food for themselves and also earn money by farming. He wanted 600,000 families in Africa to each farm about ten acres of land. This would help them earn more money, raising their yearly income from about £10 to £100 after they paid for their own food.

The Swynnerton Report suggested big changes to how land was used. It said that high-quality land should be measured and fenced, and that old ways of sharing land should change. This would help farmers get loans and feel safe about owning their land, which would encourage them to invest and develop their farms. The plan also allowed African farmers to grow crops to sell, gave them more help with farming techniques, and let them use the same markets that were only for a small group of white settler farmers before. Because of these changes, the value of crops grown by small farmers grew quickly from £5.2 million in 1955 to £14 million in 1964, with coffee making up most of this growth. The plan also aimed to bring together scattered pieces of land in the Central Province so that a few farmers could own larger farms. These farmers would then become a new group of successful farmers and provide jobs for others who lost their land. The plan hoped that those without land would find work as small craftsmen in rural areas.

Impacts on the political economy

The plan was put into action during the Mau Mau Uprising. Its goal was to give Africans more chances in the colonial society and connect them better to the changing economy. However, these changes could not control African politics. African leaders could not be easily managed, because the land and economic changes, while helping some local business owners, did not meet the needs of many people.

For example, the land consolidation program had strict rules that aimed to support loyal groups during the emergency period. This program changed land ownership for the Kikuyu people, taking away options for those without land. As a result, many Kikuyu people lost access to ancestral lands and had to start a new life without the support of family or traditional lands. This marked a big change in Kikuyu society, creating groups with property and those without, just as independence was approaching.

Stepping stone to Independence

The Swynnerton Plan helped prepare Kenya for independence. It was fully supported by the Royal Commission, which suggested removing barriers that stopped people from moving land, working, or investing money freely. They also suggested recognizing that people could own land privately.

These ideas were put into action by 1960. They helped bring together the colonial government and Kenya's future leaders as Kenya moved toward becoming independent.