Policy to avoid conflict between herders & crop farmers in Tanzania

The brief (9-page) article “Analysis of silence in policy on farmers-pastoralists conflict in the hotspot districts of Tanzania” by Parit Saruni, published in Academia Letters (2021, Article 4125, https://doi.org/10.20935/AL4125) reviews various policies, acts and strategies affecting the coexistence of farmers and pastoralists in Tanzania. The review is guided by the belief that pastoralism is not an outdated system of livestock keeping but rather a means of livelihood for over 10,000 households in Tanzania. National policies in Tanzania are based on an assumption that pastoralists are irrational accumulators of livestock and use land efficiently. The policies aim to destock pastoral herds, transform the traditional pastoral economy and take land from pastoralists for other uses. The author argues that land allocated by government to various uses is not informed by the land suitability index; the land-use plan is not informed by expertise knowledge but rather harbours political views, leading to conflicts over control and use. He recommends that the Local Government Authorities should include climate change adaptation strategies, e.g. in dam and waterpan construction, as a policy issue. Land-use planning in villages should involve negotiation over shared resources by all land users, including the pastoralist groups.

Posted on 15 March 2024 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism & Peacebuilding, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralism, Policy & Power