Getting the most without transforming the environment: The bumpy road to the oil mills in the French colony of Dahomey

Techniques for the extraction of palm oil in colonial Dahomey are at the centre of the chapter. Mechanization of extraction might seem the obvious trajectory, as colonial officials sought high yields and looked to palm oil production elsewhere in the world, but the chapter uncovers impediments to the introduction of oil mills, from colonial fears about political resistance to environmental specificities.