Land Degradation in Tanzania : Village Views

Declining soil fertility due to
inadequate farming practices, deforestation and overgrazing
are among the primary impediments to increased agricultural
productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. These causal factors,
driven by social, economic and political forces, manifest
themselves in market, policy and institutional failures,
inappropriate technologies and practices. This is also the
case in Tanzania where over 90 percent of the population is
rural and depends on land resources for its livelihood. This
study examines the most significant issues affecting levels
of productivity and land quality at the community and
village level, where local land users take decisions on
cropping and livestock management. The specific objectives
of the study were to examine farmers' perceptions,
particularly their understanding and interpretation of
factors and indicators which they link to soil erosion and
fertility decline, the level of degradation of crop and
pastureland, and the institutional capacity to implement
soil conservation and fertility measures with particular
regard to land tenure policies, local organizations and
extension service. The investigators also sought to identify
the technologies, best practices and indigenous knowledge
used by households to control erosion, enhance soil
fertility, and increase crop and livestock productivity
among smallholders.