The Path to Securing Land Tenure for Women in Tanzania
We are sitting in air-conditioned comfort in a high-rise office in Dodoma, Tanzania’s expanding new capital. Speech echoes slightly in the large, sparsely furnished room; the National Land Use Commission is still establishing itself in its new surrounds.
Our meeting is chaired by Dr. Joseph Paul, Tanzania’s Director of Research, Land Use Compliance and Information. “Unique from other parts of Africa, it is the village government – that is, Village Land Use Committees — that work with experts to decide on land use allocation,” he tells us. “It is very participatory. Even the formation of the committee is gender-inclusive according to the guidelines. The task of my department is to audit compliance of the process and its implementation. We capacitate at the district level, and when the need arises, we go down to the village level to train people — we work by learning through doing.”
The national overview
According to Dr. Paul, there are 13,318 villages in Tanzania; of them, 34% have a Village Land Use Plan (VLUP). This a crucial prerequisite for obtaining a Certificate of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCRO) — the equivalent of securing land tenure, since all land in Tanzania is owned by the state. Effectively, a CCRO is a 99-year lease (unless specified for a shorter term). CCROs apply in rural parts of the country. In urban areas, a Certificate of Granted Right of Occupancy (CGRO) must be obtained through a more complicated process.
Our Malagasy colleague who is sitting with us, Christelle Soanirina, makes the comparison with her country — so a VLUP is the equivalent of a PLOF, the Plan Local d’Occupation Foncière in Madagascar? Yes, but the VLUP is much more participatory both in the way that it is conducted and the ownership of the process that it bestows. Furthermore, it is approved at the national and district level — in Tanzania, there is no duality of planning between administrations as occurs in Madagascar.
This brings us to the main topic of discussion: the issuing of CCROs. Planning the broad blocks of land use within a village territory is one thing; implementing the plan is another. As far as CCROs are concerned, each plot that is claimed must be mapped using GPS, ownership confirmed by the VLUC, and the boundaries verified with neighbors before a certificate can be issued. This is a time-consuming process for which, Dr. Paul acknowledges, the support of external projects, such as several managed by Helvetas, is extremely helpful.
The district perspective
In his distinctly more cramped office, surrounded by maps and folders, Magesa Aspenas Magesa, the District Land Officer for Iramba, is proud that out of the 70 villages in his district, 50 have a VLUP. Most were completed through the direct support of the National Land Use Commission, although some formed part of village compensation for land acquired by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a massive construction project crossing the country.
Mr. Magesa outlines how different projects have supported the issuing of CCROs following VLUP approval; in total, 6,811 since 2021 — of which 1,711 were facilitated through the Ukijani project. In fact, Ukijani is the only project currently working on land tenure issues in his district. He points out that CCROs give the holder peace of mind and assurance that all investment in sustainable land management is worthwhile. They also:
- reduce land conflicts, as land boundaries are respected
- serve as a collateral for a loan or a mortgage
- can be used as a guarantee for bringing a case to court.
This can be especially important for women, who are often marginalized in land inheritance, lack access to credit services, and have little voice in disputes.
District Commissioner Suleman Y. Mwenda confirms these observations. Sustainable land management is crucial in the district, which until recently had extensive forest cover. Rapid forest clearance for agriculture has resulted in massive soil erosion and the depletion of soil fertility; better land use planning is essential, coupled with the nurturing of trees amongst crops on individually managed plots. He was therefore happy to participate in the recent CCRO issuing ceremony organized by Ukijani, at which he personally handed out the certificates.
What this means for villagers
The Village Land Use Plan is affixed prominently to the wall inside the village and ward office of Mbelekese — one of the five villages supported under Ukijani to implement their VLUP. Village Chairperson Omary Selemani is keen to explain what this entails. The issuing of CCROs is clearly one important aspect, but so also is the establishment of a functioning system for managing conflicts and the improved management of other village land resources — notably the forest. The first step, however, was for all concerned to receive training.
Building awareness of legal issues surrounding land management
With members of the four other villages supported through Ukijani, villagers from Mbelekese participated in training sessions at which they learned about relevant laws, regulations and procedures surrounding land management. These sessions were provided by the Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF), a national NGO specializing in such matters. In total, 80 leaders from ward tribunals, village land councils and village land use committees attended, 26 of them being women. Special attention was given to the importance of women’s land tenure security for avoiding destitution in the case of widowhood or divorce, and for encouraging them to participate in economic activities and decision-making over land and natural resources.
Land leases
Following the training, para-surveyors were selected at the village assembly. These people, mainly young men and women familiar with smartphone technology, worked with the Participatory Land Use Management (PLUM) team of the Iramba district council in surveying plots for which CCROs had been requested. Priority was given to applications from women and young people.
Over three weeks in Mbelekese, they collected and uploaded data in the Integrated Land Management System (ILMS) — the digital system supported by the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements Development and the Singida Region Land Commission. Use of this digital system in the field, rather than writing on paper and uploading the data afterwards, meant that the cost of each CCRO was significantly reduced. Earlier priced at TZS 150,000 (approx. USD 57), the cost of a CCRO in this case ranged from TZS 50,000 to 60,000 (roughly USD 19-23).
Costs were further reduced through collaboration with the Green Earth Foundation, which supported the printing process of CCROs and contributed helpful advice throughout the process. Finally, 520 CCROs covering just over 1,370 acres (554.4 ha) were issued in Mbelekese. Of these, 277 (covering 661.33 acres or 267.6 ha) are specifically in the name of women.
One example is 35-year-old Mwajuma Athuman Ramadhani. Her husband left her and the children in 2010. At first, he sent money, but in 2020, communication ceased entirely, and she has had no news of his whereabouts since then. Obtaining a CCRO for the family plot of 5 acres has given her a sense of security that she can continue to feed her children and herself in the future. “I can call this land mine now,” she proudly said.
A conflict management system
Tanzanian law (the Land Act of 1999) stipulates that the Village Land Council of seven individuals, including three women, should adjudicate over any land disputes. Training allowed the rejuvenation of this council, with a membership that is both well informed and broadly representative of the village.
Forest management: Beekeeping as a new community enterprise
Prior to the establishment of the VLUP, the forested land within the village territory was legally protected; villagers were not supposed to even enter it. Under its new status, non-harmful activities are allowed, such as beekeeping and the collection of wild fruits, mushrooms, medicinal plants and deadwood. Accordingly, the village council has allowed 27 interested households to establish a bee-keeping group. Several of their members received training at a nearby “bee village” (a professional honey producing company) that was organized by Ukijani. Together, all the members installed a total of 40 beehives, including 21 with modern construction. They have not yet harvested any honey, but they are hopeful.
Beekeeping is a lucrative business in Tanzania; one modern beehive can yield at least 60 liters of honey per year, which at TZS 15,000 per liter is worth some TZS 900,000 (approx. USD 342) on the local market. Bee-keeping demands time, patience and skill, but it both promotes the protection of forest ecosystems and enhances household incomes — a win-win combination.
No single project such as Ukijani can have a national impact in terms of sheer numbers of people reached. But its significant contribution is to facilitate collaboration between numerous different stakeholders, showing how land planning and certification processes can be made easier and more accessible to all.
Helvetas is grateful to the Irene M. Staehelin Foundation for their financial support for the Ukijani project.
About the Authors
Jane Carter is the Senior Advisor in Natural Resource Governance at Helvetas. Ukijani is one of the projects that she advises.
Shoma Nangale is the Project Manager of the Ukijani project, which operates in 85 villages spread across six districts of Tanzania’s central plateau, three each in the regions of Singida and Simuyu.
