Farm Intensification and Milk Market Expansion in Meru, Tanzania

• Published in: African studies review Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 145 - 165
• Main Author: Hillbom, Ellen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01-04-2011; African Studies Association
• Subjects: Africa; Agricultural land; Agricultural production; Agriculture, land tenure, rural space; Animal husbandry; Crops; Dairy cattle; Economic History; Economics; Economics and Business; Ekonomi och näringsliv; Ekonomisk historia; Endowment; Ethnology; Farming systems; Farms; Food crops; Labor relations; Livestock; Milk; Morphological source materials; Pastures; Samhällsvetenskap; Social Sciences; Spear, Thomas; Studies; Supermarkets; Sustainable agriculture; Tourism; Zebu; East Africa; Tanzania; Agricultural development; Cattle management; Small scale farming; Intensification; Subsistence; Expansion; Market; Land use; Milk; Meru
• ISSN: 0002-0206; 1555-2462
• DOI: 10.1353/arw.2011.0013

In Meru, Tanzania, technological and institutional change has turned milk into one of the most reliable and important sources of income for smallholder households. Decades of increased population density have caused land scarcity, leading smallholders to intensity their fanning methods and land use, including introducing stall-fed exotic breeds of dairy cows. Meanwhile, a growing urban and rural demand has resulted in a significant market expansion for milk and increasing cash incomes for smallholders. Both farm intensification and market expansion are bottom-up processes of change driven primarily by smallholders. These factors make the livestock sector in Meru an interesting example of broad-based agricultural development.