Gender, land & mining in pastoralist Tanzania

In the Women’s Land Tenure Security Project (WOLTS), the development consultancy organisation Mokoro sought ways to improve gender equity in land-tenure governance and to secure the land rights of vulnerable peoples within pastoralist communities in Tanzania and Mongolia. In 2016–17, working together with the Tanzanian civil society organisation HakiMadini, it studied the state of and threats to women’s land-tenure security in pastoral areas of Tanzania that are affected by mining investments. The report “Gender, land and mining in pastoralist Tanzania” (2018, 136pp) by Elizabeth Daley et al. brings findings from the two years of fieldwork in Mundarara and Naisinyai villages in Tanzania. The report is accompanied by an 8-page summary with recommendations.

The study uncovered significant stresses from mining, population growth and climate change, as well as disturbing levels of violence against women. Although mining has brought only few (usually low-paid) jobs for men, it did create opportunities for livelihood diversification through several mining-related income-generating activities. Women are more engaged in income generation and also much more engaged in herding than in the past and thus have even higher workloads. However, their social status in the communities remains low. It is very difficult for them to own any land or livestock or other assets or to keep money they earn through their own work. The report recommends, among other things, to educate women and men about land rights, to provide leadership training to women, and to assist with group formation in order to help women gain access to land and livestock. Women also need to be better represented in decision-making positions within the community. Recommendations are also made regarding the corporate social responsibility of mining firms.

Posted on 24 June 2018 in Pastoralism & Extractives, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism, Gender & Youth