Latest / The Songhai Empire: Africa's Powerful Forgotten Kingdom — Fexingo History
Songhai's Urban Agriculture: Feeding the Empire's Cities
When the Songhai Empire expanded across the Sahel in the 15th and 16th centuries, its rulers faced a critical challenge: how to feed the growing populations of Gao, Timbuktu, and Djenne. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the sophisticated urban agriculture that sustained Songhai's cities. They discuss the flood-recession farming along the Niger River, the role of the Sorko fishermen in fertilizing fields, the use of irrigation canals and shadufs, and the crops that formed the backbone of the empire's diet—millet, sorghum, rice, and cowpeas. The conversation also covers the…
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