accumulation by land dispossession and labor ... - Land Portal

Tunajua mwekezaji anasaidia mfano ajira lakini ni sawa na kumnyang‘anya mtu haki
ya kuishi – haki ya kula [We know the investor is helping, as in providing jobs, but
this is like robbing someone the right to live – the right to eat]
5.0 The Case of BioShape Tanzania Ltd. in Kilwa
Kilwa is one the six districts located in Lindi region in Southern Tanzania. The region,
established in 1971, is regarded as one of the few regions whose natural vegetation has
not (yet) been degraded. According to the website of Lindi Regional Office, Kilwa has an
area of 13, 347.50 square kilometres (1,334,750 hectares) of which 12, 125.9 square
kilometers is surface land and 1,221.52 square kilometers is the ocean. The latest URT‘s
(2002) 2002 Population and Housing Census estimated that Lindi had a population of
787,624 (379,014 male; 408,610 female) whilst that of Kilwa was 171, 057 (82,322 male;
88,735 female). At a median age of 17.6, the population of the district – and its labour
force – is also generally young as in Kilolo.
5.1 Bio-shaping Kilwa
The BioShape Tanzania Limited‘s quest for farmland in Tanzania dates as far back as
2006. At that time its parent company, Bioshape Holding B.V, was developing its Dutch
and Belgium power plants. According to the company‘s official website, it ―concluded it
would be beneficial to produce its own Pure Vegetable Oil‖ for that purpose. ―Because a
number of share holders already had business interests in Tanzania‖, it also disclosed, ―it
made sense to pick this country for these activities.‖ To that end the following rationales
and explorations were set into motion:
In 2006 a team of Tanzanian experts was hired in order to locate possible areas which
lent themselves to the cultivation and exploitation of Jatropha nuts. After the
identification of a number of possible locations, the choice fell on the Kilwa district, in
the South East of Tanzania. Currently, BioShape Tanzania Ltd. posseses 81.000 hectares
of ground on which 400 plantations of 200 hectares each will be established. These
plantations will be designed to operate without deminishing the regions bio-diversity.
Additionally, in 2009 BioShape will start with the renovation of the Kilwa harbor.
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