cases from tanzania - Sustainet

Sustainable agriculture: A pathway out of poverty for East Africa’s rural poor
Forest encroachment in Kenya
Cases: Baraka (p.38), Homa Bay (p. 48)
The problem Communities have little say in managing government-owned forest lands,
which cover important water catchments. The Forest Department assigns logging licenses
for forest areas. Local people find it difficult to understand why private companies should be
allowed to cut and sell trees on a large scale, while the nearby villagers who were the traditional
owners of the forest before it was declared government property are not even allowed to cut
trees for their own needs. There are no laws for community forests. Local people must get
permits from the (unelected) village chief to cut trees. As the people do not participate in
decisions on how the forests are used and who benefits from them, they are not committed
to protect the forests. Encroachment is common.
Current policies “The intention is to check the uncontrolled deforestation and deforestation
and excision of land and to protect the area… The policy, legal and institutional
framework for forestry will be streamlined, and degraded forest areas will be rehabilitated…
Modalities will be developed to facilitate the active participation of local communities in
forest resource management.” (KSRA, p. 52)
Sustainable agriculture solutions Sustainable agriculture projects encourage local people
to plant trees on community land, in school grounds and markets, around ponds and
small dams, and along rivers. They normally do this through tree-planting campaigns. The
project provides seedlings and mobilizes local people to plant them. They invite the Forestry
Department, the Ministry of Agriculture and local leaders to help in the planning. After the
work is done, the local people are put in charge of the new plantations. The community
decides on a management plan, which includes regular watering, weeding and monitoring
growth. After the seedlings are well established, watering is no longer needed. Depending
on the type of trees planted, they can be harvested after 5–10 years. Different trees provide
different products: wood for building, fencing and fuel, foliage for fodder and green manuring,
as well as fruit, shade and honey. The community decides how these benefits are to
be distributed. These procedures ensure that local people feel responsible to maintain and
protect their plantations.
Policy changes needed The examples of Homa Bay and Baraka College show that
ownership and usage rights are crucial. If local people are not involved in making decisions
about the forest around their villages, they will not feel responsible for the forests. If they
do not feel responsible, they will not be willing to obey regulations protecting the forests.
That means it is necessary to change the regulations to create formal partnerships between
the community and the government, so that joint decisions are made on the management
of communal forests. If logging licenses are issued, the logging firms must be required to
replant with naturally occurring species.
Land fragmentation in Kenya
Cases: All in Kenya
The problem The population in Kenya and Tanzania is still growing rapidly (though
less quickly than before, in part because of the AIDS epidemic). This population growth
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