Testing of Decision Making Tools for Village Land Use Planning and Natural Resources Management in Kilimanjaro Region

Anthony Z. Sangeda^1*, Frederick C. Kahimba¹, Reuben A. L. Kashaga¹, Ernest Semu¹, Christopher P. Mahonge¹, Francis X. Mkanda²

¹Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
²Sustainable Land Management Project, Regional Commissioner’s Office, Moshi, Tanzania.

DOI: 10.4236/ojss.2014.413044                

Abstract

This paper focuses on participatory testing of decision making tools (DMTs) at village level to assist in development of land use plans (LUPs) for sustainable land management (SLM) in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Data were collected using conditional surveys through key informant interviews with the project’s district stakeholders in each district, focused group discussions with selected villagers and participatory mapping of natural resources. Soil health, land degradation, carbon stock, and hydrological conditions were assessed in the seven pilot villages in all seven districts using DMTs as part of testing and validation. Results indicated soils of poor to medium health, and land degradation as portrayed by gullies and wind erosion in lowlands and better in uplands. Carbon and forest disturbance status could not be assessed using one-year data but hydrological analysis revealed that water resources were relatively good in uplands and poor in the lowlands. Challenges with regard to land use include increased gully erosion, decreased stream flow, reduced vegetation cover due to shifting from coffee with tree sheds to annual crops farming, cultivation near water sources, and overgrazing. Empowering the community with decision making tools at village level is essential to ensure that village land uses are planned in a participatory manner for sustainable land and natural resources management in Kilimanjaro and other regions in Tanzania.

Keywords

Decision Making Tool, Land Use Planning, Sustainable Land Management, Natural Resources Management, Kilimanjaro

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	FAO (2000) Land Resources: Sustainable-Land-Management/Field-Farm-Level.
[2]	NLUPC (1998) Guidelines for Participatory Village Land Use Management in Tanzania. National Land Use Planning Commission, Ministry of Lands and Human Settlements Development. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
[3]	UNDP (2010) Reducing Land Degradation on the Highlands of Kilimanjaro Region. United Nations Development Program, Tanzania LRM Project Document. http://www.tz.undp.org/content/dam/tanzania/Sustainable%20Land%20Management%20in%20Kilimanjaro
[4]	URT (1998) Kilimanjaro Region Socio-Economic Profile. The Planning Commission Dar es Salaam and Regional Commissioner’s office, Kilimanjaro Region.
[5]	URT (2013) Population and Housing Census. Population Distribution by Administrative Areas. National Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, Dar es Salaam, and Office of Chief Government Statistician, President’s Office, Finance, Economy and Development Planning, Zanzibar, 244 p.
[6]	Plane, D.A. and Rogerson, P.A. (1994) The Geographical Analysis of Populations: With Applications to Planning and Business. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
[7]	Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) (2005) Annual Report. Government Printer, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
[8]	Maro, G.P., Mrema, J.P., Msanya, B.M., Janssen, B.H. and Teri, J.M. (2014) Developing a Coffee Yield Prediction and Integrated Soil Fertility Management Recommendation Model for Northern Tanzania. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 3, 380-396. http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/IJPSS/2014/6883
[9]	Stocking and Murnaghan (2001) Handbook for Field Assessment of Land Degradation. Earthscan, London.
[10]	UNFCC (2013) Estimation of Carbon Stocks and Change in Carbon Stocks of Trees and Shrubs in A/R CDM Project Activities. http://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/ARmethodologies/tools/ar-am-tool-14-v4.1.pdf
[11]	NAFORMA (2011) Forest Inventory Systems and the FAO/NAFORMA Program.
[12]	Jenkins, A. (2006) Northern Rivers Soil Health Card: A Monitoring Tool for Farmers Developed by Farmers. NSW Department of Primary Industry, Wollongbar Agricultural Institute, Bruxner Hwy Wollongbar. www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
[13]	Jenkins, A. (2010) Striking a Match: How to Ignite a Passion for Soils. World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World. Brisbane, 26-29.
[14]	Mango, G. and Kalenzi, D. (2011) The Study to Develop a Strategy for Establishing Cost Effective Land Use Plans in Iringa and Njombe Regions. URT, National Land Use Planning Commission Report, Dar es Salaam, 47 p.
[15]	IIED (2010) Participatory Land Use Planning as a Tool for Community Empowerment in Northern Tanzania. Ujamaa Community Resource Team, Gatekeeper 147: December 2010. International Institute for Environment and Development. http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/14608IIED.pdf