A capture-mark-release study was carried out from July 2012 to February 2014 to investigate the impact of shifting cultivation on the ecology of small mammal in the North Eastern zone of Tanzania.We hypothesized that small mammal abundance,composition and diversity remain stable in less disturbed areas but will change with the level of disturbance due to shifting cultivation.Four permanent grids (70×70 m) were set in four different habitats with various levels of disturbance due to shifting cultivation.A total of 574 small mammals were captured in 7,644 trap nights giving a trap success of 7.5%.Eight rodent species (Mastomys natalensis,Acomys spinosissimus,Lemniscomys griselda,Gerbilliscus leucogaster,Aethomys chrysophilus,Grammomys dolichurus,Rattus rattus,Mus minutoides) and two insectivores (Crocidura spp,Petrodromus tetradactylus) were captured during the study period.M.natalensis was the dominant small mammal while R.rattus and M.minutoides were the least abundant.Significant variation in species composition,diversity,richness,distribution and population abundance were observed across the four habitats.Our results show some local impact of agricultural activity on rodent densities,species diversity and richness.It was observed that not all the species showed high habitat adaptation in a changing environment.M.natalensis,however,had high densities in all the habitats indicating a broader habitat tolerance.From the current study,it is obvious that small mammal population abundance,composition,diversity and distribution are largely affected by human activities especially the shifting cultivation type of agriculture.