Histories of the groundnut and oil palm industries tend to focus on the themes of labour supply and income distribution rather than of innovation in production. In such studies, African initiative is displayed more in the actions of traders than of farmers. It is argued here that the history of palm production in the Ngwa region during the early twentieth century demonstrates the importance of innovation as a recurrent theme in rural West African economic history. The common factor which most theorists of agrarian change leave out of their models is gender. This factor is put at the centre of the analysis here, with the aim not only of redressing the balance but also of reflecting the economic and social realities of the Ngwa region. Ngwa history is outlined in some detail, especially the period 1900-30, during which Ngwa farmers adopted cassava and engaged in a rapid expansion of palm oil and kernel production for the export market. The changes of this period are set against the background of earlier Ngwa history. Finally: the changes related to innovations and social changes after 1930. Fig., notes, sum.
