1st Edition

Ecology, Civil Society and the Informal Economy in North West Tanzania

By Charles David Smith Copyright 2001
    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    240 Pages
    by Routledge

    Based on a decade of first-hand experience and secondary research, this richly detailed study follows daily life in four villages in Tanzania. Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, this comprehensive account examines the regional economy, determinants of civil society and implications for democratization, AIDS, population growth, refugees, crops and goods and implications for development. Charles David Smith brings together well over 200 interviews and his own experience of everyday events, providing a constructive critique of current initiatives and a potent new direction that has so far been under-explored by existing bodies. An essential text for all serious students and researchers interested in development.

    Contents: Introduction; Conceptualizing the peasantry; Civil society and governance; The ecology of the Kagera region: the physical and human environment; AIDS and depopulation; Rwandese refugees in Tanzania; The staff of life; Coffee, the world market connection; Sustainable development reconsidered: the rich farmers; Women heads of household: the need for empowerment; Consumer goods and the cash economy; Conclusion; Bibliography.

    Biography

    Charles David Smith

    ’This book will be of interest to students of development studies and to staff and supporters of NGOs working in Tanzania...both challenging and thought-provoking.’ Tanzanian Affairs ’...recommended to all levels of scholars of development...’ Labour, Capital and Society