Agriculture in plains by the people from the mountains in Tanzania: Case study on northern slopes of the Uluguru Mountains
2006
Yamane, Y.(Kyoto Univ. (Japan)) | Higuchi, H.
During these 50 years, in the mountainous regions in Tanzania, new settlements and cultivated fields have been expanding to surrounding plains around the mountains due to population increase. In the present paper, we picked up a case of the northern slopes of the Uluguru Mountains and discussed about the role of the newly commenced cultivation on the plains by the farmers who were still staying on the mountains, based on surveys on the distribution of fields, crop cultivations, farm managements, etc. The farmers' fields were located both on the slopes and in the plains. Most of the farmers' staple foods supply depended on production in smaller fields in the plains. The cultivation in the plains required a large amount of cash expenses for transportation, land rent, tractor fee, etc. In spite of the expenses, the farmers mostly consumed the products with few sales. The cash was derived from activities in the neighboring large city. The objective of the production of staple food crops in the plains for consumption was to avoid the purchase of food products the markets at a higher cost. Due to various risks associated with cultivation in the plains, such as flooding, damages by wild animals, etc., it was difficult to rely only on the plains from the viewpoint of food security. The fields on the mountain slopes contributed to the stability of the food supply. It was considered that cultivation in the plains could be performed due to the reliability of mountain agriculture and to the geographical conditions that facilitated the acquisition of cash income.
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