The importance of land management in Tanzania
A major threat to this region of Tanzania is that agricultural production areas suffer from water stress and land degradation. Land in Tanzania is communally managed. Yet most communities lack a Village Land Use Plan (VLUP), and land insecurity leads to less sustainable land management. Women producers are most vulnerable, with minimal economic independence, exclusion from effective participation in governance institutions, and limited access to land titles and support services.
The CARE-WWF Alliance’s program in SAGCOT
In 2018, the CARE-WWF Alliance began a program in SAGCOT demonstrating a model improving livelihoods of small-scale farmers while maintaining ecosystem functions and conserving biodiversity. Foundational to this model is the Alliance coordination with local governments and community members to support VLUPs in a watershed – participatory zoning for agriculture, forest reserves, and water source protection.
Five-year Objectives (2018-2023):
- Integrated Land and Water Management: Integrated and enforced plans for land and water management, including secure use rights for smallholder producers, demonstrably improve environmental flows for ecosystems and wildlife in the Ndembera sub-catchment.
- Value Chains: Smallholder producers improved economic well-being and food and nutrition security through engagement in resilient food systems and access to market opportunities that preserve or improve ecosystem functions.
- Inclusive Green Growth: New and existing investment by private and public sectors in agriculture value chains and systems supports environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth.