Nkoemvone: traces of colonial modernity in Cameroon’s agricultural past
In the heart of southern Cameroon, the Nkoemvone experimental station spans over 300 hectares—with only ten currently operational—connected by a paved road and dotted with decaying structures. Marked by a plaque as the “multipurpose agricultural station of Nkoemvone,” it operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Though the buildings show significant wear, the station remains active, particularly in cocoa plant research and distribution.
Founded in 1944, Nkoemvone stands as one of the last remnants of colonial-era modernity. The “Experimental Cocoa Station of Nkoemvone” embodies what historian Hélène Blais describes as an “object-garden” within the French colonial empire, particularly during the XXe century—a period when plant reproduction dominated colonial activities. While less documented than other stations like Bambey in Senegal, Nkoemvone played a key role in introducing and relocating cocoa varieties to reshape local agricultural societies. Its ambitions, however, were short-lived, facing challenges in independent Cameroon.
Colonial ambitions and economic shifts
The 1929 economic crisis, though mitigated in colonized Africa, forced a major shift in French colonial policies. The collapse of the colonial trade economy pushed the state to invest in infrastructure and export crops while addressing living conditions in colonies. This marked the rise of a “developmentalist” colonial state, a trend solidified at the Brazzaville Conference (January 30–February 8, 1944), led by Charles de Gaulle, which aimed to revive France’s economy and improve conditions for colonized peoples through planned development.
Research as a tool for agricultural transformation
In the 1940s, a dominant narrative emerged: improving African societies required boosting agricultural yields through large-scale investment. This led to the proliferation of agronomic research institutions across the French Empire, with Cameroon as a key testing ground. On June 8, 1944, French Cameroon Governor Eugène Paul Carras dissolved the Technical Council for Agriculture and Livestock, replacing it with three dedicated services: Agriculture, Livestock, and Forestry. This reorganization aimed to centralize agricultural research, with Nkoemvone’s cocoa station becoming a flagship project.
According to agronomist Pierre Barthe, who oversaw agriculture in Cameroon in 1946, the new Agriculture Service was structured into specialized sub-departments, including three experimental stations: Dschang, Maroua, and Nkoemvone. While Dschang and Maroua dated back to the interwar period, Nkoemvone’s cocoa station was founded in 1944 as part of this modernization drive. Agronomist Raymond Juliat, head of agriculture in 1944, noted that Nkoemvone initially lacked formal texts, focusing on “selecting high-yield cocoa varieties for widespread distribution.” By 1947, 300 hectares were allocated, but construction stalled due to labor shortages, material deficits, and the absence of a comprehensive plan. Despite these setbacks, the colonial administration reaffirmed its mission in 1948, formalizing it through regulations in 1949. Construction finally began, funded by the cocoa sector.
A forced labor controversy
The station’s development faced logistical hurdles. In 1949, station director Jean Braudeau reported severe staff shortages, impeding road construction, nursery development, and 15 hectares of plantations. While some temporary workers from nearby villages were hired on a task basis, the question of forced labor persisted. Historian Léon Kaptué notes that despite High Commissioner Renée Hoffherr’s 1947 ban on forced recruitment, French authorities continued mobilizing coerced labor until 1949.
To attract workers, the colonial administration built housing within the station—a common practice in colonial administrations, as historian Gwendolyn Wright observed. These workers were tasked not only with construction but also with agronomic research. In 1949, Agronomist Achille Pacilly, who succeeded Braudeau, established a labor camp with 20 local-material huts. By 1956, 58 permanent huts housed 130–140 families, resolving the labor shortage. The station also featured housing for technical staff, research labs, potable water and electricity access, an infirmary, nurseries, and cocoa variety gardens. By 1959, on the eve of Cameroon’s independence, the station’s infrastructure was complete.
A propaganda tool in colonial Cameroon
Beyond its scientific role, Nkoemvone served as a propaganda instrument for French authorities, particularly during the 1950s—a decade marked by violent repression against Cameroonian nationalists in the Bassa region. In 1958, journalist and propaganda chief André Boyer produced a film, “The Nkoemvone Cocoa Center,” aiming to “reintegrate the misled into normal life and convince the masses of the government’s sincere nationalist actions.”
The station also showcased colonial benefits. A 1958 United Nations report on French-administered Cameroon noted its role in selecting elite cocoa varieties and distributing cuttings to farmers to replace low-yield trees. The report praised the station’s “good results.”
After independence, the station’s propaganda role was repurposed by Ahmadou Ahidjo’s government to enhance international prestige. Between 1961–1962, it hosted ambassadors from the United States, Germany, and three African heads of state (Philibert Tsiranana of Madagascar, Léon Mba of Gabon, and François Tombalbaye of Chad), along with the director of the Paris National School of Administration and the World Bank’s Africa director. However, this international visibility coincided with the station’s gradual decline.
Post-independence challenges and decline
After Cameroon’s 1960 independence, agreements with France ensured continued French oversight of research programs, funding, and infrastructure. The station remained under French administration, with former colonial agronomists like Jacques Liabeuf leading it. As noted by researchers Jean Gaillard, Hocine Khelfaoui, and Jean Nya Ngatchou, this arrangement allowed Cameroon to focus on higher education while France managed scientific research. French oversight ended only in 1975.
In subsequent decades, the station entered a decline exacerbated by the 1980s economic crisis, which crippled Cameroonian agricultural research. Gaillard, Khelfaoui, and Ngatchou highlighted severe financial constraints, delayed salary payments, and the abandonment of national research programs—including cocoa studies at Nkoemvone, where scientific activity nearly ceased.
By the 1990s, the station was rebranded as a multipurpose agronomic research hub under the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (Irad), established in 1996. However, natural disasters and economic decay worsened its dilapidated state. In 2006, torrential rains destroyed plant trial areas, damaged administrative buildings, and ruined housing. Despite efforts, the station’s vast size—once a symbol of colonial extractivist ambitions—now hinders its restoration due to limited resources.
The station’s abandonment reflects deeper contradictions: the grandiose visions of colonial modernity clashed with postcolonial realities, leaving behind a legacy of both scientific ambition and systemic neglect.
