This dataset supports replication of a study analyzing the uneven diffusion of cotton as a cash crop in colonial Africa. It examines how agricultural seasonality affected farmers' adoption, contrasting outcomes in British Uganda and French West Africa from approximately 1900 to 1960.
Use Cases
- Analyze the relationship between seasonal labor bottlenecks and cotton output using historical agricultural cycle data.
- Contrast colonial coercion and investment strategies between British Uganda and French West Africa using regional administrative records.
- Investigate the impact of post-colonial labor productivity breakthroughs on cotton production in Francophone West Africa after 1960.
- Model the effect of short rainy seasons and farming cycles on food security concerns and crop adoption decisions.
Strengths
- Data supports a peer-reviewed historical study on a specific economic and agricultural topic.
- Provides a comparative analysis between two major colonial regions in Africa.
- Covers a significant historical time period from circa 1900 to 1960.
Limitations
- Specific data structure, column names, and sample size are unknown.
- The dataset's primary focus on two regions may limit broader continental generalizations.
- Relies on historical archival data which may have gaps or inconsistencies in recording.
Provenance
- Source
- ICPSR Harvested Dataverse, author Michiel de Haas.
- Collection Method
- Replication package for a published academic article, likely compiled from historical archives.
- Time Range
- circa 1900–1960, with post-1960 context.
- Freshness
- Last updated on 2026-02-23.
- Geography
- British Uganda and the interior of French West Africa.