The political ecology of peasant-herder conflict in Mvomero district, Tanzania

Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol. 2, Issue. 12, Dec 2016It is worthwhile to address the peasant-herder conflict because of their rampant increase in most developing countries. Rigorous and integrative studies on this aspect can significantly contribute to the growing literature in herder-peasant interactions in most Sub-Saharan African countries, and ultimately, facilitating sustainable use of available natural resources. The arrival of pastoral societies in Morogoro Region during 1990s seemed to be unproblematic because the region had large uninhabited land. Afterwards, the increase in population of both peasants and herders, and land grabbing for large scale investments compressed the people into a small area which could not carry them comfortably and peacefully. This paper investigates the causes, impacts and resolutions of peasant-herder conflict in Mvomero District, Morogoro Region, one of the most affected area by such conflict in the Central-eastern Tanzania. The results from such a study can be of help toward the establishment of new methods of curbing the authentic and potential problems in the country. The findings from questionnaire and field interviews showed that there is an increased cases of killings and confiscation of resources and wealth among the two groups. While hundreds of people are reported to be killed, thousands of them have escaped to other areas just within the past two decades. Despite of that, each group still claims to have right over resource utilization in the area. Political and socio-cultural resolution have been used to calm the situation, however, it has not yet been fruitful. For the successful resolution, therefore, there is a need to address this acute issue in a more participatory way. The harmonized policy advocacy is among the best approach to resolutions. Others may include: the review of village land use plans, creation of awareness toward herders to abandon their traditional transhumance nature of livestock keeping and adopt the sedentary livestock keeping which is economic viable and environmental friendly

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation, Climate Variability and Crop Production in Tanzania’s Semi-arid Agro-Ecological Zone: A Case Study of the Kongwa District

Various ecological and environmental indicators including climate change, soil fertility, water availability and proper agronomic practices that form optimal agricultural systems are needed to be integrated for increasing agricultural productivity in the Tanzanian semi-arid agro-ecological zone. Among these indicators, climate change and soil fertility are the major limiting factors to affect crop yields in this semi-arid agro-ecological zone. To improve crop productivity, this study assessed the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), the trends of climate variability and crop production, and the rate of adopting conservation agriculture (CA) in the Kongwa District, a semi-arid zone in central Tanzania. In doing so, climate data and soil samples were collected from two representative villages of Mnyakongo and Ugogoni. These the villages are located at (6°12′8.47″S, 30°23′25.25″E and 6°15′6.59″S, 30°27′8.78″E), respectively, with 900– 910 m above sea level and are located in one of the most sensitive zones to climate stress. The annual precipitation varies with elevation and ranges from 400 mm at 900 m a.s.l. to 800 mm at 1000 mm a.s.l., and the dominant soils are fluvisols and vertisols. Field experiment was conducted between June and September, 2016, whereas, soil samples were collected from pits in July, 2016

The political ecology of peasant-herder conflict in Mvomero district, Tanzania

Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol. 2, Issue. 12, Dec 2016It is worthwhile to address the peasant-herder conflict because of their rampant increase in most developing countries. Rigorous and integrative studies on this aspect can significantly contribute to the growing literature in herder-peasant interactions in most Sub-Saharan African countries, and ultimately, facilitating sustainable use of available natural resources. The arrival of pastoral societies in Morogoro Region during 1990s seemed to be unproblematic because the region had large uninhabited land. Afterwards, the increase in population of both peasants and herders, and land grabbing for large scale investments compressed the people into a small area which could not carry them comfortably and peacefully. This paper investigates the causes, impacts and resolutions of peasant-herder conflict in Mvomero District, Morogoro Region, one of the most affected area by such conflict in the Central-eastern Tanzania. The results from such a study can be of help toward the establishment of new methods of curbing the authentic and potential problems in the country. The findings from questionnaire and field interviews showed that there is an increased cases of killings and confiscation of resources and wealth among the two groups. While hundreds of people are reported to be killed, thousands of them have escaped to other areas just within the past two decades. Despite of that, each group still claims to have right over resource utilization in the area. Political and socio-cultural resolution have been used to calm the situation, however, it has not yet been fruitful. For the successful resolution, therefore, there is a need to address this acute issue in a more participatory way. The harmonized policy advocacy is among the best approach to resolutions. Others may include: the review of village land use plans, creation of awareness toward herders to abandon their traditional transhumance nature of livestock keeping and adopt the sedentary livestock keeping which is economic viable and environmental friendly

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation, Climate Variability and Crop Production in Tanzania’s Semi-arid Agro-Ecological Zone: A Case Study of the Kongwa District

Various ecological and environmental indicators including climate change, soil fertility, water availability and proper agronomic practices that form optimal agricultural systems are needed to be integrated for increasing agricultural productivity in the Tanzanian semi-arid agro-ecological zone. Among these indicators, climate change and soil fertility are the major limiting factors to affect crop yields in this semi-arid agro-ecological zone. To improve crop productivity, this study assessed the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), the trends of climate variability and crop production, and the rate of adopting conservation agriculture (CA) in the Kongwa District, a semi-arid zone in central Tanzania. In doing so, climate data and soil samples were collected from two representative villages of Mnyakongo and Ugogoni. These the villages are located at (6°12′8.47″S, 30°23′25.25″E and 6°15′6.59″S, 30°27′8.78″E), respectively, with 900– 910 m above sea level and are located in one of the most sensitive zones to climate stress. The annual precipitation varies with elevation and ranges from 400 mm at 900 m a.s.l. to 800 mm at 1000 mm a.s.l., and the dominant soils are fluvisols and vertisols. Field experiment was conducted between June and September, 2016, whereas, soil samples were collected from pits in July, 2016

Tanzanian controversy on resources endowments and poverty

Environment and Ecology Research 5(1): 29-37,This paper examines the existing resources curse in Tanzania with detailed analyses on the controversy. A country with high resources endowments: i.e. about 44 million hectares of arable land, precious minerals, forests resources, water and wildlife but is among the poorest countries in the planet Earth. Here we reviewed over 25 reports, journal papers and books and found that all precious natural resources have insignificant contribution to socio-economic development of the people. The resource curse is confirmed in about all resources as there is no correlation between the quality of life and resources endowments. In recent years, the country has recorded the lowest per capita income at $ 960 with weak purchasing power parity. This declares that all consumptions, investments and government spending are insignificant. In addition, approximately 75% of the population depends on under-developed smallholder primary agricultural production, small-scale mining and other micro economic sector. Under such a situation, about 51% of the Tanzanians are poor and roughly one-third of these people live in abject poverty. Similarly, despite of the recent discovery of 2.17 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposit, more than 50% of households have no access to basic requirements such as electricity, medical care etc. The human development index (√LEI−EI−II3.) = 0.521 (low) i.e. life expectancy has decreased to about 50 years, illiteracy rate is about 68%, high rates of malnutrition and poor access to safe water both in urban and rural areas are other acute problems to the Tanzanians. Food insecurity is about 41% of households due to poor yields. The major causes for all these misfortunes are poor governance, policy failure, interference of political interest in professionalism, inadequate technology and corruption just to mention a few. Despite of the efforts as stipulated in section 7 of this paper, it is further projected that competition over resources use is expected to elevate being from within and outside the country. This will exacerbate the level of poverty among the poor and increase their vulnerability. To address the problem, the government needs to undertake serious and sustainable measures over the control and use of natural resources

Are rainfall and temperature really changing? Farmer’s perceptions, meteorological data, and policy implications in the Tanzanian semi-arid zone

Although various climate models, statistical crop models and economic simulations have been established to determine the level of farmers’ vulnerability, there has been little systematic assessment of farmers’ perception towards climate change in association with meteorological analyses and policy implications in Tanzania. The results from this assessment will enhance the formation of robust policies that improve resilient livelihoods and the capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. This paper seeks to (i) reveal the farmers’ perception on variation, change of rainfall, and temperature in the Tanzanian semi-arid area; (ii) depict meteorological evidence for the perceived rainfall and temperature changes; (iii) assess the policy perception and responses for the changing climate; and (iv) discuss the correlation between farmers’ perception and meteorological data. Household surveys, informative interviews and discussions were employed during data collection. The Mann-Kendall Test and SPSS (version 20) were used for climate data analyses, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The results showed that from 1980 to 2015 the mean annual rainfall decreased ( R2 = 0.21) while temperature increased (R2 = 0.30). Even though majority farmers agreed with these results, they had not yet taken serious measures to curb the situation. Besides, Agricultural Policy has lightly addressed and enforced the implementations of adaptation strategies to reduce climate impacts and vulnerability. Thereby, creation of awareness and intensification of climate adaptation strategies is needed at both farm and policy level

Vulnerability Assessment of the Livelihoods in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone under Climate Change Scenarios

Despite the established literature on the vulnerability to climate change in various parts of Tanzania, it is worthwhile to assess the extent of this vulnerability of the peoples’ livelihoods and predict its future outcome. This is particularly important in the vulnerable ecosystems, that is, the semi-arid zones of Tanzania where the people’s livelihoods are highly attached to the declining local condition. The present study aims to assess the livelihoods vulnerability in Kongwa District, the semi-arid zone of Central Tanzania. In doing so, a wide range of methods were employed during data collection and analyses including surveys, informative interviews, discussions and observation. The study sampled 400 ( 10%) respondents during a survey. The Mann-Kendall Test with SPSS V20, Microsoft Excel and Theme content techniques were used for data analyses. The results indicate that climate stress has adversely impacted the quality of soil, vegetation, crop yields and intensified environmental degradation. Since most people depend upon the mentioned affected aspects, it is expected that also the level of livelihood vulnerability has elevated. Further, this situation has greatly contributed to increased poverty and thus, propagates the “tragedy of the common” to the available environmental resources. As a response to increased vulnerability, some farmers have abandoned thousands of hectares of agricultural farms that seemed to be less productive. Despite this, slight measures have been taken by both the government and other key stakeholders to limit vulnerability. The findings of this study provide a theoretical and practical basis for coordinating a sustainable man-environment relationship, ensuring the sustainability of the environment which is the major source of peoples’ livelihoods

Soil quality and agricultural sustainability in semi-arid areas

Soil quality and agricultural sustainability are required to feed about nine billion people by the year 2050. To feed such a population, the planet ought to increase food production by 60%. To attain agricultural sustainability, there should be a balance among biophysical, economic and social dimensions under which soil quality is a core aspect. It is worthwhile to explore soil quality versus agricultural sustainability in sub-Saharan countries because the population is expected to increase by 80%. This chapter reviews the current agronomic practices in countries characterized by semiarid agro-ecological zones and their implications to soil quality and agricultural sustainability, using Tanzania as a case study. We found that agro-pastoralism based on maize, sorghum, millet, sheep, cattle and cow is a current dominant agricultural system but with low yields. Monoculture has contributed to the degradation of soil quality. Drought has raised issues to already stressed ecosystems and made rain-fed agriculture a vulnerable and unsustainable livelihood for smallholder farmers. This situation has reduced the per capita grain harvested area from 0.6 to less than 0.4 ha and thus, affected for more than 70% the smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. Fortunately, areas using fertilizations of animal manure and other organic soil management practices have increased soil fertility and crop yields from 0.82 tn ha−1 under no-fertilization to 1.8 tn ha−1 under organic fertilization

Efficacy of transforming agriculture for survival to commercial agriculture through 'Kilimo Kwanza' Initiative in Tanzania

Natural Resources and Conservation 2016;Vol. 4(4): 43-50Kilimo Kwanza which means “Agriculture First” in English, is an initiative launched by the Tanzanian government in 2006 to spearhead the transformation of subsistence to commercial agriculture for curbing poverty. The initiative aimed at solving constrains facing farmers (small, medium and/or large scale). Its implementation is based on ten milestones some of them are the provision of credit to farmers through Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank, good governance, establishment of infrastructure, coordination and evaluation of the milestones. Through “Kilimo Kwanza” for farming credits, the government has pledged 500 million USD to TADB in 2015, though the deal has not made yet. Compared to other initiatives, the special aspect that “Kilimo Kwanza” possesses is that; it is people centered. It works under the patronage of Tanzania National Business Council which involves both private and public dialogue on strategic issues for economic development. Despite of all these efforts and instruments of “Kilimo Kwanza”, Tanzanian agriculture has remained the main employer of Tanzanian labour force (70%), account 24% of the GDP, 30% of export and 65% of raw materials for domestic industry. However, this contribution is insufficient compared to the vision of the initiative. To address the constraints facing Tanzanian agriculture, there is a need to think more widely aiming at arresting all barriers with a clear and committed political will. Among others: motivation/incentives to farmers, extension services, equipping good infrastructures ranging from irrigation, transport and storage facilities. Then, the flow of farm inputs from local government authorities to small and medium scale farmers is a governance issue. The people responsible for the flow of these inputs are not playing their roles despite of the clear directives from the government. Similarly, policies, plans and programmes are well stipulated but, implementation to reach intended outcomes needs further efforts

Sustainable environmental conservation in East Africa through agroforestry systems: A case of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania

International Journal of Sustainable and Green Energy 2017; Vol. 6(4):49-56.Sustainable conservation of any ecosystem needs a balance between resource utilization and management. The Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) of East Africa which covers a large area more particularly in Tanzania needs such kind of balance for its sustainability. With potential biophysical resources such as fluvial, vertisols and xerosols soils with the annual rainfall exceeds 1200 mm per year, may attracts more degradation than conservation. This review aims to assess the influence of agroforestry and related farming systems in the intensification of sustainable conservation in the area. Thereby, we reviewed 39 peer reviewed publications from the data base and some secondary data to attain the goal. It is discernible that agroforestry has increased crop yields for over 50% in the area. However, the ongoing degradation threatens the sustainability of the EAM. Forest degradation will offset over 100 million tons of carbon that is stored in the EAM. Besides, environmental degradation will significantly affect the water sources that feed over 3.5 million people in the downstream. Then, the supply of water for Hydro-Electric Power, environmental requirements and agricultural activities in the downstream will be adequate affected. To curb the authentic and potential degradation, the Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Funds (EAMCEF) is operational in the area. Norway is among the great funders of EAMCEF. Therefore, for the robustness of sustainable conservation in EAM, a collective effort from various stakeholders especially donors are needed