North Pare Mountains in Mwanga District of Tanzania’s northern highlands are
part of the Kilimanjaro coffee zone, and coffee has led the local economy of this district since
at least the time of national independence in 1961. However, under the economic liberalization
policies introduced in 1986, coffee production in Mwanga has decreased dramatically from
approximately 700 tons in 1985/86 to 100 tons in 2004/05. The population of the district grew
only by 1.23% annually from 1988 to 2002, a rate lower than the averages for Kilimanjaro
Region and Tanzania Mainland as a whole. The mountain villages suitable for coffee production
have had low growth, whereas those in the western plain area along a major road have had
high growth rates. Adverse economic conditions may have accelerated the historical outmigration
from the mountains. Concurrently, in the western plain, towns and suburbs have
offered better economic opportunities since the introduction of the new national development
policy, “Poverty Reduction Strategy” in 2000. Here, I use district-level data, as well as information
from field surveys to examine the decline of the coffee economy and its relationship to
low population growth in Mwanga District.