Cultivation by the Baka Hunter-Gatherers in the Tropical Rain Forest of Central Africa

Abstract

The Baka in southeastern Cameroon are one of the "Pygmy" hunter-gatherer groups living in the tropical rain forest of central Africa. The Baka are said to have accepted cultivation with their own fields in the 1950s. Their cultivation is unplanned and haphazard, due to longer time lapse between labor investment and return for cultivation than for hunting-gathering. This difference was one of the obstacles for adoption of cultivation with their own fields, and has made them receive produce from neighboring farmers in exchange for forest products or for farm work. The important factor for adoption of their own cultivation is that acquiring produce from the neighboring farmers became diffcult due to change in relationship between some Baka and farmers. Colonial government policy also affected the Baka. The major crop of the Baka is plantain. Plantain as a crop requires little care or preservation for future planting and consumption, suited for the Baka cultivation. These factors probably promoted adoption of cultivation by the Baka.