To Kill the Locusts, But Not Destroy the Farmers’

Officials, Farmers and the Plagues of Pharaoh, c. 1920–1935

Bibliographic Data

ID9350784
AuthorsLize-Marié van der Watt (Stellenbosch University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume62
Issue2
Pages356-383
Publication date2010-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSouth African Historical Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0258-2473 • E-ISSN: 1726-1686
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02582473.2010.493008
OpenAlexW1996761553
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited12

Of all the agricultural pests farmers in the Union of South Africa had to endure, few evoked such strong, visceral, and often highly personal debates within the Afrikaner farming community as locust plagues. As a contribution to the dialogue between historians who have explored science, farmers and state intervention in agriculture within the broader theme of agricultural pests, this article seeks to add to the socio-environmental history of Afrikaners within the context of the southern African environment. It discusses the explicitly scientific, entomological issues, including the knowledge exchange process, and then turns towards the political themes on macro as well as micro level. Finally, it examines the more ephemeral themes of religious and racial identity as highlighted by the locust infestations. Keywords: South African agriculturelocustagricultural pestsGreat Depressionagriculture and environmentscience and agricultureAfrikaner agricultureLandbouweekbladSouth African environmentdrought

Agriculture · Archaeology · Biology · Context (archaeology · Geography · Identity (music · Intervention (counseling · Locust · Political science · Politics · State (computer science · Theme (computing · African history and culture studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · South African History and Culture · Ecology

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