In Tanzania, conflicts between pastoralists and crop farmers frequently occur, although most go unreported. Land-related conflicts often lead to unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, destruction of farms, crops, and houses, theft of livestock, and even loss of life. One of the worst conflicts between pastoralists and farmers occurred in December 2000 in Morogoro Region when 38 people were killed. Women and children often suffer most when conflicts occur. Tanzania’s ability to attain sustainable development goals like poverty reduction, gender equality, and climate action are compromised when conflicts develop over land resources. Furthermore, in communities with land conflicts, households dependent on subsistence agriculture are pushed towards more unsustainable activities such as charcoal production and short-cycle crop practices which can degrade soil and water resources. Worsening stresses brought on by floods, droughts, and population growth further reduces the resilience of communities and households.

In addressing this challenge, USAID’s Water Resources Integration Development Initiative  (WARIDI), with support from the USAID Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) activity, is supporting Local Government Authorities in prioritized villages in Morogoro Region to develop Village Land Use Plans (VLUP), strengthen community and household resilience and protect water resources. Led by the District Land Offices and communities, WARIDI supports the process of preparing VLUPs in Magana, Msufini and Nguyami villages. These villages cover almost 21,000 hectares which has now been clearly demarcated to show various land uses such as crop farming, livestock routes, pastoral grazing lands, forest reserves, residential areas, and other uses to improve land use management and protect water resources. Effective land use planning enables communities to protect important water sources that are tapped for community water supplies and improve water quality and availability in downstream communities.  

As part of the effort to secure land ownership long-term planning, WARIDI assisted the District Land Offices to print and issue almost 2,000  Certificates of Customary Rights of Occupancy (CCROs) to community members (half of whom were) in all three villages for their individual plots of land. Having VLUPs and CCROs in place is a critical step to empowering village governments and landholders to address threats to sustainable land management, forests, and water resources as well as reduce land conflict. 

Disputes over pastoralist land access and damages to agriculture crops have led to conflict in Kilolo and Mvomero Districts. “Before the implementation of WARIDI and establishment of the Land Use Plan, there were several filed land conflict cases related to land use between individuals and between villages…people were reluctant to participate in development activities. This project helps ascertain village boundaries, reduces land conflicts among villages and enhances land management at the village level,” says Nenkondo Kiama, the Village Executive Officer for Magana. District Land Officer for Kilolo, James Mkuyu, recalls that “lack of livestock routes was a big driver for land use related conflicts between farmers and livestock keepers. Through the land use planning process, clear livestock routes have been established, recognized by the community and are being respected.”

Strategies for Ensuring an Inclusive and Participatory Approach

Several important processes enable the District Land Offices to complete the VLUPs and issue CCROs in areas that had existing land use conflicts. These include intensive awareness raising campaigns among community members on the importance of land use plans; inclusive approaches that involve women, men and youth, as well as the full involvement of district and village leaders. Using a Participatory Rural Appraisal approach ensures inputs from key community members such as women, the elderly, and the disabled are all included. The participatory process instills a sense of responsibility and unity among community members to understand and plan for the future, placing value on conservation of the environment and natural resources. “This process helps us identify the vanishing Mtandika wildlife Corridor at Magana village, and safeguards wildlife,” says Shela Ngailo, Councillor for Mahenge Ward in Kilolo DC. The corridor connects two major national parks in the Southern Circuit between Ruaha and Udzungwa National Parks. The Tanzania Forest Service in collaboration with the National Land Use Planning Commissioner also supports the development of these village land use plans to help safeguard land and forest resources across Tanzania.

Addressing Social Barriers to Sustainable Land Management

The development of Land Use Plans and provision of CCROs improves equity and awareness of gender discrepancies in land ownership and the associated benefits. Women who have titles to their land can take out a loan on their CCRO to finance their small enterprises and engage in other productive activities that feed their families more independently. “Historically, women, especially in the pastoralist community, have had limited rights to land ownership. However due to the intensive awareness raising conducted through this activity, women are now able to access land and we have CCROs. It has given us power because we can confidently claim those areas as our own and participate in decision making on how to use them,” says Katarina Kochocho from a pastoral community at Magana Village. 

The passing of land rights from deceased husbands to their wives has often failed to secure those women with any rights at all. The Village Executive Officer for Nguyami Village, Feni Stephano says “in our communities we have often witnessed that when a husband dies, land use related conflicts emerge, especially with polygamist families due to lack of records and guidance on how land parcels were to be distributed among wives and children. Through this work, polygamist families are dividing lands among wives, which has helped these women access their CCRO, thus reducing the chances for conflicts to occur later.”  

Sustainability plans and challenges

As is the case across Tanzania, District Land Offices often lack the staffing and financial resources to develop land use plans for other communities and conduct regular monitoring in the villages to ensure the developed plans are followed. However, there are assurances that the structures implemented by WARIDI will be sustained and expanded. “We have included preparation of VLUPs in our district work plan, the District has recently received  support from the Tanzania Forest Service to develop VLUPs in four more villages found adjacent to the forest reserve. Furthermore, the Land Institute in Morogoro is supporting us to develop a VLUP in another village,” says Salivius B. Sarapion, Land Officer for Gairo DC. 

Fortunately, the inclusion of VLUPs is catching on as a sustainable model and being expanded. Bernard Kajembe, District Town Planner for Kilolo says the district is planning to increase the number of villages with land use plans from the current 46 to all 94 villages in Kilolo District. Alistidy Manjonda, District Land surveyor for Mvomero, says the District has identified two more villages this year where they will develop VLUPs. “So far we have reached 99 out of 136 villages in the district.”

Dr. Charles Cosmas Mkawala of the National Land Use Planning Commission (NLUPC) is welcoming more collaboration and partnership to ensure that more villages in Tanzania complete their VLUPs. “We have witnessed decreased land conflicts in all areas that have VLUPs in place which ultimately helps communities engage in more productive activities and increases their resilience to challenges brought by climate change. The Commission invites partners to work on this area for the benefit of the communities and the surrounding environment.”