1. Agriculture

Agriculture means growing crops and keeping animals for food and other purposes. It began in Africa over 10,000 years ago, starting in the Nile valley of Egypt around 7000 BC.

Types of Agriculture:

• Shifting cultivation: Farmers move to a new area when the soil loses its fertility. This was common in central, western, and southern Tanzania (miombo woodland) and eastern Kenya.

• Permanent cultivation: Farmers stay in one place and use irrigation, terracing, and manure to keep the soil fertile. This was practiced on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru, and the southern highlands of Tanzania.

• Mixed farming: Growing crops and keeping animals together. Common among the Waha, Nyamwezi, Fipa, Hehe, and Kikuyu peoples.

• Pastoralism: Keeping livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. The Maasai, Fulani, Barabaig, and Karamajong were famous pastoralists.

2. Handcraft Industries

Handcraft industries involved using hands and skills to produce tools, weapons, and goods.

Key Handcraft Industries:

• Salt making: Produced by drying reeds and burning them, boiling salty water from springs, or mining rock salt. Major production areas included Lake Victoria region, Taghaza in western Sudan, and Uvinza in Tanzania.

• Iron working: Making tools, weapons, and implements from iron. Important production centers in Tanzania included Itewe near Chunya, Liganga, and the Uluguru Mountains. Blacksmiths held high social status in many communities.

• Copper mining and working: Used to make ornaments, utensils, and weapons. The Ndebele women wore copper necklaces to show their husband's wealth.

• Pottery making: Creating clay pots, bowls, and storage containers.

• Spinning and weaving: Making cloth from cotton and other fibers.

3. Fishing

Fishing was important for communities living near lakes, rivers, and the sea. The Luo people of East Africa were well-known fishers. The Ndengereko fished in the Rufiji River, and coastal peoples fished in the Indian Ocean.

4. Mining

Mining involved extracting valuable resources from the earth. Besides salt and copper, gold mining was significant in many parts of Africa. Gold was often found in riverbeds and was obtained by washing gold-bearing rocks.

Economic activities shaped African societies in many important ways:

1. Food production and population growth: Agriculture and fishing produced enough food to feed larger populations, allowing villages to grow into towns.

2. Settlement patterns: Agriculture encouraged people to settle in one place rather than moving around. This led to the development of permanent villages and towns.

3. Trade and wealth: Surplus goods from farming, fishing, and crafts could be traded with other communities. Iron tools, salt, copper, and gold became valuable trade items. Some communities used iron bars or cattle as a measure of wealth and for paying bride price.

4. Social specialization: Not everyone had to farm. Some people became blacksmiths, weavers, fishers, or traders. This division of labor made societies more complex.

5. Political organization: As communities grew wealthier and more specialized, they needed stronger leaders to organize trade, settle disputes, and coordinate work.

6. Technological development: The need for better tools and weapons drove innovation in iron working and other crafts.

7. Cultural and religious changes: New religions and beliefs developed to protect crops and livestock. Blacksmiths often held special spiritual status because they could transform raw materials into powerful tools.

In pre-colonial Tanzania, iron production had a major impact on local societies. Communities near Liganga, Itewe (Chunya), and the Uluguru Mountains discovered iron ore and developed the technology to smelt it. Blacksmiths used iron to make:

• Agricultural tools like hoes and pangas for farming
• Weapons like spears and swords for protection
• Items for trade with neighboring communities

The Sukuma people used iron bars as a form of payment for bride price. The Masai traded cattle for iron weapons from the Pare and Kikuyu peoples. Blacksmiths gained respect and often held important spiritual roles because they could create powerful tools from stone and fire.

Today, understanding economic activities from pre-colonial times helps Tanzanians appreciate how local trade and production have always been important. For example, when you visit a local market and see farmers selling maize, fishers selling dagaa (silver fish), or artisans selling pottery, you are seeing modern examples of the same economic activities that shaped pre-colonial societies. The skills of fishing around Lake Victoria, farming on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, and craft-making in many villages continue traditions that began hundreds of years ago.