AGRICULTURE AND PRE-COLONIAL IGBO ECONOMY: THE NNEWI EXAMPLE

Abstract

Scholars of Eurocentric perspective has opined that pre-colonial African economy of which Igbo land is a part was not dynamic and to a large extent underdeveloped. This is because agriculture which was the main-stay of the pre-colonial African economy was not advanced and lacking in certain elements that boost agricultural production such as mechanized farming and some farming techniques like the application of chemical fertilizers and irrigation systems. But this view when subjected to critical interrogation lacks much merit. This is because even though pre-colonial African agricultural economy was not as developed as that of Europe it still possessed some basic elements that enabled it to maintain production that served and sustained the indigenous population from one season to the other. Obviously, the agrarian economy of pre-colonial Igbo land had a few challenges which included the limitations associated with the use of simple farm tools, unpredictable environment and weather conditions as well as lack of control over plant pests and animal diseases, nevertheless they were able to maneuver the situation to the point that food production in Igbo land during the pre-colonial era was not largely hindered. Hence the aim of this paper is to use the Nnewi example to elaborate what precolonial agriculture in Igboland was like and as well analyze the basic elements that facilitated agricultural production in pre-colonial Igbo land, highlighting on how the challenges were handled. It concludes on the premise that although pre-colonial Igboland had its limitations, it was far from being undeveloped and lethargic as it was an economy that was developing at its own pace.