ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights some of the environmental and socioeconomic factors that have influenced, and been influenced by, such choices. With virtually 90 percent of the population living at least partly off the land, subsistence farming and pastoralism remain vital to Tanzanian society. A widening ecological imbalance has been with Tanzania since before independence and is linked to a host of political and economic problems better understood through a closer look at the land and its people. Problems with water, soils, and insect pests restrict arability in most of Tanzania. Except in the highlands, rainfall is usually too little or too much to support a thriving agricultural economy. Compounding the effects of unreliable rainfall, many Tanzanian soils lack essential nutrients and others remain unavailable for ready use. Population growth and distribution are fairly compatible with human carrying capacities in the rest of Tanzania.
