The Katanga province is, until this day, primarily known for its extensive mining activities, which are well-documented in existing literature. However, the intertwined history of cattle farming in this area has received less attention. From the 1920s onwards, large-scale ranching enterprises began to emerge with the primary goal of supplying food to the growing workforce of African labourers and European employees in Katanga’s mining industry, as well as the expanding settler population. Around the same time, smaller European farmers around Lubumbashi started to focus on milk and butter production for the urban population.

To investigate the social transformations and ecological impacts of the expanding cattle industry in Katanga this research draws on a wide range of sources, including archival records, visual material, and interviews collected through extensive fieldwork. By integrating sources from different actors, this study aims to reconstructs the key decisions, policies, and actions that sought to transform Katanga into a profitable cattle production region. The ecological impacts of this expanding industry will be carefully examined. Additionally, the agency of non-human animals, including cattle, wildlife, and insects, in shaping these transformations will be investigated. The research will also pay attention to the people who lived and worked in these newly established cattle ranching regions. It will analyse how communities and different social groups interacted with and responded to this industry.

This research covers the period from the early 20th century to the late 1970s, tracing the long-term processes of the expanding cattle industry. Through a combination of perspectives from social and environmental history and experiences of multiple actors, this research will offer a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Katanga’s cattle industry.