ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a pitting technique of cultivation known locally as ngoro or ingolu which was developed by the Matengo ethnic group living in the Mbinga district in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The technique is probably over 200 years old, originating when the Matengo migrated to Mbinga and occupied the forested mountains, where they lived in caves to protect themselves against the warring Ngoni, another ethnic group which moved in from South Africa. Faced with possible starvation, the Matengo had no option but to cultivate crops on the steep hillsides. The pitting technique developed by the Matengo to control soil erosion and to improve soil fertility is still used today and serves as a good example of a successful indigenous technology which controls erosion on steep hillsides.
