Bridging the Gap: linking timber trade with infrastructural ...

The main occupation in Mtwara Region is agriculture, occupying around 92% of the population. Poor
soils and climatic conditions typical of miombo woodlands limit agricultural potential. Food crops
include cassava, millet, sorghum, cow peas, pigeon peas and maize. The major cash crop is cashew nuts,
and Mtwara Region ranks first nationally, contributing about 50% of national cashew nut production.
Other cash crops include groundnuts and sunflower.
Since 1995, sapphire, christalbella, alexandrite, tourmaline and rhodolite have been mined in Masasi
District, providing hopes for boosting the region’s economy through development of the mining
industry. Similar to Lindi Region, a major capacity limitation in Mtwara Region is the negative net
lifetime migration, losing people to other parts of the country, mainly to Dar es Salaam (Milliken, 1999).
Health facilities include 4 hospitals, 14 health centres, 126 dispensaries and 133 MCH clinics. Adult
literacy in the region is estimated to be 57.1%, and education facilities include 493 primary schools and
13 secondary schools.
Mtwara Region has a total of 139 295 ha of forests accounting for 8.33% of the regional land. Of the
total forest area, 130 545 ha (93.7%) are central government Forest Reserves and 8749 ha (6.3%) are
local authority Forest Reserves (Anon., 1997h). The Regional Commissioner’s Office reported in 1997
that uncontrolled harvesting of trees for timber, poles, charcoal and firewood exceeds the estimated
annual yield from the forests, consequently leading to progressive degradation of the forests. Mtwara
Region has a high potential for beekeeping utilising existing miombo woodlands and cashew nut trees.
A total of 65 450 ha of Mtwara Region is designated as Game Reserves, although poor infrastructure has
limited tourism development.
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