Browsing by Author "Silayo, D. A."

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Historical path of forestry and the role of ‘Ujamaa’ ideology to today’s policy of community forest management in Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2016) Silayo, D. A.; Mombo, F.
Tanzania was colonised by the Germany in the late 19 century and after World War II it was put under British mandatory by the United Nations. Later on in 1961, the country got her independence and adopted the capitalistic economy. Through the Arusha Declaration in 1967, it abandoned the capitalistic and adopted a socialistic policy to guide her socio-economic development. This policy was named ‘Ujamaa’ (family-hood) because it had more emphasis on African socialistic cooperation. Socialism was pursued by Julius K. Nyerere who was the first president of Tanzania. This review explored the forest management path from pre-colonial period to the today’s regime where community forest is a main concept. It was adopted by the Tanzanian forest policies of 1998 and reviesed in 2012. The study revealed that colonialism and introduction of Christianity diluted the traditional systems that were used by most communities for management of forests. During Ujamaa and resettlement of isolated rural populations in central villages more forests were cleared to meet immediate wood demands. Rural dwellers lost control of their traditional land and lost lives due to diseases and wild animals. Despite these shortfalls, socialism/Ujamaa created a platform for better forest management through political stability, decentralised governance and decreased levels of forest-based resources dependency especially for food and medicines. Forests managed under Ujamaa village governments had better conditions than the rest of forests. Ujamaa was the basis for community resource management of today. The first policy with community participation concept was enacted in 1998 and the forest sector was the pioneer of this. Consequently we can conclude that, together with external influence, Ujamaa formed a basis for Participatory forest Management (PFM) in Tanzania.
Lessons Learned from REDD+ Pilot Projects in Kondoa and Rungwe Districts, Tanzania
(Climate Change Iimpacts and Adaptation and Mitigation Project (CCIAM) - Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), 2016) George C. Kajembe, G. C.; Silayo, D. A.; Mutabazi, K. J.; Massawe, F.; Nantongo, M.; Vatn, A.
Reduced deforestation and forest degradation ‘plus’ the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhanced carbon stock (REDD+) has been singled out as one of the core strategies against climate change. At the same time, forests offer important livelihoods. To acquire experience on how to establish REDD+ ‘on the ground’, REDD+ pilot projects were established in Tanzania. The pilots were expected to provide valuable insights on many issues that will likely be encountered by both the government and local communities as REDD+ develops to assist in future REDD+ initiative. This study was conducted to draw lessons from two REDD+ pilot projects in Kondoa and Rungwe districts in Dodoma and Mbeya regions, respectively. Structured questionnaires for households with both closed and open ended questions were used to collect socio-economic, institutional and livelihoods-related information. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, participant observation and focus group discussions (FGDs) were also employed. Results show that land and forests are the main livelihood assets in the two pilot project areas. Although REDD+ was generally accepted by most communities in the pilots, there were some levels of scepticism based on their past land use history. For example, the introduction of REDD+ in Kondoa faced rejection from some villages due to fears over land grabbing and exclusion from forest access. On the contrary, villages which depend solely on state-owned forests did not object to REDD+ as they are used to resource use exclusion mechanisms from such tenure systems. Assessment of the trial payments showed that most of the people would consider stopping deforestation and forests degradation if they get compensation relative to the losses of income they will encounter. Communities prefer payments in form of community investments rather than paying cash to individuals. It was observed as well that at the local level parallel governance structures for REDD+ have increasingly become a source of intra-village conflicts. In fact, the livelihood of the poor inhabitants is directly hooked to surrounding forests and natural services with growing future needs of land per household that threaten the future of REDD+. On the other hand, land use plans go through a relatively too long process and are costly. Thus, the government should consider preparing plans for all villages to reduce the costs of planning for natural resource management and use.
REDD+ piloting in Tanzania: The village as an arena for defining and defending local and national interests
(Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2016-12) Kajembe, G. C.; Silayo, D. A.; Mombo, F. M.; Abdallah, J. M.; Maliondo, S. M. S.
Tanzania is among countries earmarked for piloting REDD+ activities in order to inform the global community through lessons learned for sustainable implementation of this programme. This study was carried out to assess the REDD+ piloting process in Tanzania with reference to the village as an arena for defining and defending local and national interests. Social interface approach was used for data collection. The study revealed ambiguity in forest tenure security as a major constraint in the implementation of REDD+. Among the actors in the process, NGOs were found to serve as power brokers between state agencies and local communities. The governance structures at village level play a key role in regulating forest use and implementation of any project. Since communities have a higher trust on their village governments, the villages remain core area for protecting interests of REDD+ and conservation initiatives in the country. Similarly, clear and secure land tenure and forest user rights are critical ingredients for the success of REDD+ initiatives.
Strategic power and power struggles in the national REDD+ governance process in Tanzania: any effect on its legitimacy?
(Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2013) Manyika, K.F.K; Kajembe, G. C; Silayo, D. A.; Vatn, A.
Tanzania is currently undertaking a number of initiatives related to the development of national REDD+ governance structures. These initiatives, among others, include process to establish a national REDD+ Trust Fund (NRTF) and the National Carbon Monitoring Centre (NCMC). In this paper, the on-going national REDD+ governance structure establishment processes at both local and national levels are analysed. The study focused on REDD+ governance process, the participating actors, power and power struggle and its effects on the political legitimacy underlying the REDD+ governance process. The study was undertaken through intensive review of literature and relevant reports and documents, and dialogue with actors involved in the process. It was found that while REDD+ governance continues to evolve, some non-economic actors are transforming themselves into economic actors and ‘Power brokers’ in order to enhance their position in protecting their interests during the process. It was noted as well that strategic power and power struggles are emerging as part of the evolving processes at both local and national levels. The study concludes that strategic intervention/decision was required to facilitate smooth process and avoid the stalemate that can be caused by emerging power struggles in the national REDD+ governance structure development process.
Transformation of shifting cultivation: Extent, driving forces and impacts on livelihoods in Tanzania
(ELSEVIER, 2018) Kilawe, C. J.; Mertzb, O.; Silayo, D. A.; Birch-Thomsen, T.; Maliondo, S. M.
Shifting cultivation is in rapid transformation in many parts of the Global South, but the drivers and consequences of these changes are still not well understood, especially in Africa. We therefore analysed the drivers of this transformation and its impacts on livelihoods between 1995 and 2014 in two villages located in Eastern Central Tanzania by combining analysis of socio-economic and remote sensing data. Results revealed that in an upland village, the number of shifting cultivators declined from 34% to 16% and the area changed from 19% to 17%.Inaplateauvillage,thenumberofshifting cultivatorsdeclinedfrom24%to18%andtheareasubstantially declined from23% to 14%. Inboth villages, shifting cultivators adoptedintensive land preparation methods that involved deep tillage and burying of vegetation. Transformation of shifting cultivation in the upland area was driven by adoption and enforcement of land tenure policies that restrict shifting cultivation whereas in the plateau area, it was driven by population pressure causing competition for land between shifting cultivators and pastoralists. In both villages transformation of shifting cultivation negatively aﬀected household income and increased periods of food insecurity.