As part of the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, USAID has invested in several agricultural projects in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) and is seeking to develop focused land tenure programming to support USAID’s existing and planned investments in the region.
The Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) activity seeks to clarify and document land ownership, support land use planning efforts, and increase local understanding of land use and land rights. It is anticipated that the interventions will reduce land tenure-related risks and lay the groundwork for sustainable agricultural investment for both smallholders and commercial investors throughout the corridor and in the value chains of focus for Tanzania’s FTF program.
Local sustainability is a critical component of the LTA activity. The goal of this activity is to empower district and village land institutions in the districts targeted by the LTA to carry forward the capacity building and land administration process independently (and with little or no outside financial support or assistance) when LTA concludes.
In carrying out its activities, LTA collaborates and coordinates with the Government of Tanzania and other donor programs to produce complementary programming that is timely, cost-effective, and sustainable.
LTA also coordinates closely with, and utilizes lessons learned from, the USAID Mobile Application to Secure Tenure (MAST) pilot project, which tested an approach for the mapping of land parcels, adjudication, and delivery of Certificates of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCROs) using an open source mobile application.
The Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) program works in the Districts of Iringa and Mbeya to provide assistance to local level authorities in the delivery of land tenure services under the Village Land Act No.5, 1999 and the Land Use Planning Act No.6, 2007.
LTA provides support to the implementation of land tenure regularization and first issuance and registration of CCROs and Village Land Use Plans (VLUP) in 41 selected villages (36 villages in Iringa District and 5 villages in Mbeya District). In addition to these key activities, support is also being provided to capacity building at both District and Village levels. Years 1 and 2 and 3 are focusing on the main task of building capacity in Iringa District. Capacity building activities will then be extended to Mbeya District Council through the District Land Office commencing in Year 3 and through Year 4. LTA work is undertaken under four activities re-stated here as follows:
- Activity 1: Assist villages and District administrations leaders and institutions in completing the land use planning process and delivering CCROs in selected villages within districts of Iringa and Mbeya.
- Activity 2: Educate and build capacity of village land governance institutions and individual villagers to complete the land use planning and CCRO process, effectively manage land resources, respect women’s, youth and pastoralist’s land rights and build agriculture-related business skills.
- Activity 3: Educate and build capacity of district-level land governance institutions in Mbeya District to complete the land use planning and CCRO process.
- Activity 4: Build capacity to use the MAST application throughout the SAGCOT and Nationally.