DEVELOPMENT OF A MAJOR RICE CULTIVATION AREA IN THE KILOMBERO VALLEY, TANZANIA

Abstract

After economic liberalisation in Tanzania, rice cultivation rapidly expanded as a source of income, and several production areas formed. The Kilombero Valley, located in central southern Tanzania, is a major rice production area. The people residing in the valley had already developed the original rice paddy cultivation system for subsistence farming by the mid nineteenth century. The system depends on run-off from a flooded tributary of the Kilombero River. Recently, production using the indigenous cultivation system has increased and has produced a surplus for sale. However, suitable lands for the flood cultivation system are limited to narrow riversides. One reason why rice production has successfully increased is the introduction of modern technologies, such as tractors and trucks, into the indigenous system. Tractors and trucks have enabled the expansion of paddy fields to remote areas, and as a result, rice production has increased. At the same time, abundant production has accelerated the trading of rice and has increased opportunities for trading. Thus, increased rice production in the Kilombero Valley based on the established indigenous cultivation system has led to activation of the rice market.