Implications of institutional interplay on land management: A case of traditional land tenure and formal laws in the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania
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Date
2023-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Despite land management efforts since colonial times in the Uluguru Mountains, land degradation persists.
Formal land laws and traditional land tenure system were examined to show the implications of formal and
informal institutional interplay on land management. Participatory rural appraisal and interviews were
employed to collect data. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used for qualitative and quantitative
data respectively. The study brings to light multi-faceted institutional interactions demonstrated by interplay
between formal land laws and the traditional land tenure system, with each type of institutions influencing the
other. Predominant form of land tenure regime in the Uluguru Mountains is individual land property. In precolonial, colonial and the immediate post-independence eras, clan-based land tenure regime and interinstitutional conflict dominated. Individual land property can enhance land management as it can enhance
land security. However, it does not guarantee conservation of farmland water sources. Arguably, the implications
of land tenure regimes on land management are not adequately explained by the property rights theory as the
theory rejects rationalities other than that of maximizing individual utility, which is contrary to the study
findings. There is a need for forming/strengthening institutions for regulating water sources in individually
owned farmland.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Land tenure Institutions Interplay Uluguru Mountains, Land tenure, institutions interplay, Uluguru mountains