The role of local institutions in regulating resource use and conflict management: the case of Usangu plains, Mbalali district, Tanzania
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Date
2002
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Recent development in sustainable natural resource management advocates
decentralization of power and responsibilities to local level institutions. Sustainable
resource management in Tanzania is basically dependent on the peasants at the local
level. Given this reality therefore, the role of local institutions and their effectiveness
in resource use and conflict management are decisive in bringing about sustainable
natural resources management. This study examined the role of local institutions in
regulating resource use and conflict management in Usangu. Specifically the study
investigated land use practices in the study villages; land use conflicts and their
underlying courses; and the role of local institutions in regulating resource use and
conflict management. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one involved
Participatory Rural Appraisal. The second phase involved a structured questionnaire
survey as a major tool for data collection. Participatory observation and secondary
sources were used to gather supplementary information. Data collected through PRA
in phase one were analyzed with the help of the participants. The Statistical Package
for Social Sciences was used to analyze quantitative data generated by
questionnaires. The study revealed the existence of land use conflicts in the area.
These conflicts centered on competition for resources such as water and land between
crop cultivation and livestock. The study also revealed the presence of two traditional
local institutions namely: council of village elders and traditional guards and four
externally sponsored local institutions namely; village council, irrigation committee,
livestock association and the police. With respect to conflict resolution, the study
showed that both formal and informal mechanisms played an important role in
conflict resolutions. Although village governments ranked high among the
institutions encountered in the study villages with regard to conflict resolution,
observations showed that village governments were not answerable to the people
who elected them into offices. Most of the decisions at the village level were made
outside the recognized “loci” for decision-making and some of these decisions were
made contrary to the wishes of the villagers. The study concludes that, changes in
land use are a function of both biophysical as well as changes in the socio-economic
factors and that most of the existing local institutions are not well organized in terms
of operation and management of local resources as evidenced by the prevalence of
land use conflicts and unsustainable use of resources in the area. Furthermore lack of
popular participation in resource use decision-making has hindered the establishment
of democratic and efficient institutional arrangement at the local level to control
imprudent resource use. The presence of traditional institutions such as the traditional
guards and the council of village elders show that there exists institutional potential
at the local-level from which new institutions could be built upon to carry out desired
resource management functions. The study recommends that communities should be mobilized and be
empowered to manage natural resources through education programs that emphasize the significance of
human relationships with natural resources and the society based legal rights over
resources. The study also recommends that new roles and functions of existing local
institutions be developed and that there is great need to evaluate the performance of state rice farms and
Usangu game reserve projects whether or not they are economically and socially viable. If not, the
government should consider giving these areas to the local people, as a way of easening
the conflicts between different land use.
Description
MSc. Dissertation
Keywords
Resource use – Forestry, Conflict management, Usangu plains, Mbalali district, Tanzania