8 research outputs found
Household adoption behavior of improved soil conservation: The case of the North Pare and West Usambara mountains of Tanzania
Household Adoption Behaviour of Improved Soil Conservation : The Case of the North Pare and West Usambara Mountains of Tanzania
Agricultural production and food consumption of mountain farmers in Tanzania: a case study of Kiboguwa village in Uluguru Mountains
Household-Level Determinants of Soil and Water Conservation Adoption Phases: Evidence from North-Western Ethiopian Highlands
Iron Production in North Pare, Tanzania : Archaeometallurgical and Geoarchaeological Perspectives on Landscape Change
Archaeology, archaeometallurgy and geoarchaeology are combined in this research to examine the chronology and development of iron metallurgy and its environmental repercussions in North Pare, Tanzania. Pare was a prominent centre for iron production from at least the second half of the first millennium AD, and it has been assumed that this technologywith its demand for wood charcoalhad a significant and detrimental effect on local forest cover. This research sought to examine this claim by exploring the spatial, chronological and technological characteristics of iron production in Pare in conjunction with geoarchaeological evidence. Contrary to older assumptions, our results demonstrate that erosion processes were well established in North Pare before the documented intensification of smelting and smithing activity, and that iron production continued despite environmental changes. We suggest that although iron production may well have contributed to deforestation and erosion in Pare, it is unlikely to be the sole causal factor