A Look At Agriculture

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I have read on a number of occasions that agriculture is the foundation of the Tanzanian economy so I thought this month I would pursue that theme a little. As we have visited the north of the country as well as the eastern coastal region and live in the central part of Tanzania we have been able to observe from the road at least a sampling of Tanzanian agriculture. The regions to the north and east have fairly consistent rainfall and quite fertile soils, so they produce a great deal of the food that enters both the domestic and export markets.

In contrast, Dodoma Region where we live is not a fertile area. The soil here is sandy and lacking in nutrients. We have a long dry-season and receive only unpredictable rain in the rainy season. I am writing this in mid-September - the last rain we saw was in late April and the next rain will fall in mid-November so at this point it is quite warm and very dry. Agriculture in the Dodoma Region consists largely of herding cattle and goats, and cultivating crops, mostly maize. Maize, which is similar to the corn Canadians would feed to livestock, is ground into flour and used primarily to make ugali, a sort of paste that, along with rice, is a staple here.

I did a little scratching around to get some figures on agriculture to flesh out my own observations. In Tanzania as a whole about 75% of all people in the work force are involved in food production, mostly for their own consumption. Agriculture accounts for about half the national income. The government website reports that, ‘Agriculture in Tanzania is dominated by smallholder farmers (peasants) cultivating average farm sizes of between 0.9 hectares and 3.0 hectares each. About 70 percent of Tanzania’s crop area is cultivated by hand hoe, 20 percent by ox plough and 10 percent by tractor… Only 4 percent of all land is arable, with only 1 percent suitable for permanent crops...Women constitute the main part of agricultural labour force… The major constraint facing agriculture is falling labour and land productivity due to … poor technology and dependence on unreliable and irregular weather conditions.’

The basics of the Tanzanian diet include maize, cassava, sorghum, millet, rice and beans. In a good crop year these are produced within the country so we have been insulated to some extent from the world food crisis. Of course domestic prices have risen in keeping with increased costs of transportation and distribution but the fact that wheat for instance is in short supply and has increased dramatically in price in the rest of the world has not affected Tanzania to any great extent. Most people here use flour made from maize or cassava grown in country rather than wheat purchased abroad.

‘Nane Nane’ is the national holiday celebrating the contribution of those involved in agriculture. ‘Nane Nane’ is Swahili for ‘eight eight’ and stands for the eighth day of the eighth month or August 8. So, last month on ‘Nane Nane’ we attended an agricultural fair near Dodoma. Many of the pictures in this month’s blog are from that fair. Others were taken in the general area of Dodoma and provide a glimpse of the landscape and a sense of what the Dodoma area looks like.

It is fascinating to live in a place where most people do not eat to enjoy the food. Appearance, texture and flavour are incidental. The intention is to fill the tummy. We have been entertained both privately and at public celebrations where food was served and even in those situations the idea is to fill up. While these are great fun and very social occasions, enjoyment of the food is somehow incidental. I wonder what people here would make of paying the equivalent of several months’ wages for a plate of ‘haute cuisine’ after which you would still be hungry. To them, I don’t think it would make a lot of sense.

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Photos

Entering Dodoma Region
This picture was taken on the road from Dar not long after you have entered Dodoma Region. It is fairly flat, very sandy and usually dry.

A typical field or shamba near Dodoma
The house in the background is typical of village construction, very low and made out of mud blocks.

Nane Nane included some caged animals.
The people were fascinated as most Tanzanians have never seen (nor probably want to see) lions like this one, or other large animals.

High Tech Wood Stoves
Most people here cook over a fire. In institutions stoves like these are used. They burn wood that is fed in stick by stick on the small tray at the bottom.