Understanding Change in the Traditional Vinyungu Farming System: A Case of the Little Ruaha River in Iringa Region, Tanzania

The traditional vinyungu farming system in Iringa Region, Tanzania has undergone significant changes in magnitude and characteristics. Changes undergone are largely understood as being in response to exogenous factors. However, understanding the transformations undergone by the individual farmers is also of paramount importance. This study adopts a qualitative approach through the application of combined in-depth interviewing techniques and overt observations to provide an in-depth understanding, from farmers perspective, on the phenomenon of change in the traditional vinyungu farming system in six villages along the Little Ruaha River from the 1950s to 2005. The findings suggest that the farmers changing goals and preferences over time and across generations are significant contributors in the farmers decisions to engage in market production. The findings also indicate that farmers are not static over time and across generations. They change in knowledge, experience, perceptions and world views relative to their own translation of the changing social and physical environment which, in turn, influences their agricultural land use decisions.