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Due to the absence of the tsetse fly and the existence of large areas of pasture and fertile river valleys, bovine cattle have historically been central in the lives of African agro-pastoral societies in southern Mozambique. In the beginning of the twentieth century, Portuguese officials became interested in the expansion of the livestock economy to supply internal and external markets. But various diseases, irregular rainfall, and periodic drought posed numerous challenges. Echoing familiar tropes, colonial officials perceived local animal husbandry practices as backward and uneconomic, and argued that Landim cattle, the indigenous breed, was mostly useless. Debates ensued on whether the Landim breed could be improved or popular imported breeds successfully acclimatised to local conditions. This article discusses the evolution of official livestock policies for southern Mozambique between the 1910s and the 1940s. It investigates the way zootechnical debates concerning cattle improvement were influenced by popular scientific theories, economic aspirations, and a specific regional context, but also by perceptions of African and exotic breeds and attitudes towards the local environment. The article sheds light on how Africans, the main cattle owners in the region, responded in significant ways to these developments.

‘A Livestock Country Cannot Be Improvised’: Cattle Improvement, Economic Ambitions, and the Environment in Southern Mozambique, 1910s–1940s