The Politics of Smallholder Tea Production in Rungwe District from 1995 to 2015.

Mwakilambo, Reginald (2020) The Politics of Smallholder Tea Production in Rungwe District from 1995 to 2015. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The research study investigated the relationship between politics and smallholder tea production in Rungwe District from1995 to 2015. The study disclosed major characteristics of the smallholder tea growers, effects and role of the district’s politics in addressing the problems that face farmers. This study used Dependency and Conflict theories to explain the relationship between politics and smallholder tea production under hidden activities of international capitalist economic system in which the district is never left out. The study summed up that, the introduction and development of the smallholder tea production by the independent government of Tanzania focused on seeking new sources of capital for the benefits of the Government of Tanzania at the expense of the welfare of the smallholders of Rungwe District. The study examined the link between Rungwe District and the world capitalist economic system as capital led to the establishment and extension of smallholdings in constant conflicting interests. What should have been done by the Government of Tanzania and Rungwe District Authority to relieve the smallholder tea growers when the industry came into crisis in 1995 could be to empower the people of the district by allowing a fair involvement of smallholders in the business sustainably. It was concluded that political concerns made smallholders willing to make, preserve and change the rules guiding the smallholder tea industry from time to time to achieve their interests, though through conflicts and cooperation with other stakeholders. It was found that politics cannot be left out by smallholders as it affects their ways of lives and struggles for survival through their engagement in the tea industry. Keywords: Stakeholders, Tea, Production, Politics.

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