Tobacco farming and its influence on the sociocultural transformations in Urambo district, western Tanzania; 1950s – 2010

This study examined the influence of tobacco production on socio-cultural transformations to the local communities in Urambo district from the mid-1950s to 2010. The study employed both secondary and primary sources mainly archival materials. They were supplemented by oral interviews. The study was guided by Marxist Historical and Cultural Materialism to show the link between production processes and social relations, cultural systems, ways of thinking, ideologies and belief systems of communities in Urambo district. From the study findings the following three reflections can be made. First, since its inception, tobacco production integrated societies and local economies into the global economy under the auspices of British East African Tobacco Company and American Tobacco Company. This had far reaching impacts on societies and local economies in the districts as producers had to respond to the demands exerted by the global market. Secondly, tobacco production impacted local communities as tobacco preoccupied a large part of socio-cultural life of tobacco farmers. In this regard, tobacco production processes, economy, and subsequent commercialisation of the rural life, transformed social relations including family, labour, and village community relations. Communities had to transform and reshape their socio-cultural practices and belief systems to cope with tobacco production and its economy. Thus, peasantisation and commercialisation of rural economies became a stepping stone for the development of tobacco culture. Thirdly, tobacco production influenced the growth of sub-urban centres with clear social differentiation and urban culture. The study concludes that tobacco production was a significant factor in transforming and changing the subsistence life systems to a more commercialized and commodity oriented system which consequently transformed the socio-cultural systems of the people in Urambo.