Most plants presently cultivated in the Congo, including the main food crops, have been introduced from the American continent. Starting from present-day observation, the author attempts to reconstruct their process of introduction, adoption and substitution for African species. The main crops were introduced on the Atlantic coast by the Portuguese between the end of the 16th century and the 18th century and slowly made their way into the interior, as indicated in travellers’ descriptions. They happened to be more resistant and productive than local plants. People progressively added them to their diet and even invented new preparation techniques. Fruit trees and potential commercial crops were more or less successfully introduced in colonial times.
Topic: plant introduction
Publication Year: 1998
Source: Chastanet, M. (ed.) Plantes et paysages d'Afrique: une histoire à explorer. 283-322