They Said it Couldn't be Done' Two Agricultural Development Projects in Kenya

When we visited Kenya in 1962 independence had been announced but was still six months away. Lack of faith by resident Europeans and some of the Asian community in an African government had resulted in cessation of investments by both communities; the economy, which had been so vigorous earlier, had ground to virtual stagnation with a resulting substantial increase in unemployment, uncertainty, and political instability. In addition, the Africans, particularly in the Kikuyu areas where population pressure on land is high, looked at the under-utilized White Highlands with increasing land hunger and emotion. At the same time the economic depression and political uncertainty made many of the White Highlanders desire to sell their farms and leave Kenya; there were 70,000 Europeans in Kenya at the time; many of these were in civil service and diplomatic positions as well as in agriculture. At that time when the resettlement of Africans on European farms was discussed, it was the general consensus among European administrators' in Kenya that 'it couldn't be done,' that Africans could not farm successfully these highland areas which were large mechanized or ranching units, operated much like similarsized farms in the United States and Canada. Yet when we returned to Kenya in the summer of 1968, 34,651 African families had been settled on these highland farms an astounding accomplishment for a newly in

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