Assessment of implementation of village land use plans in Ulanga district, Tanzania

A Dissertation 2019

Land use plans have been considered as a solution to land use problems. Existing studies have reported cases of non-adherence to the plan though limitedly considered assessing their implementation at village level. Implementation of the land use plan relies on how sufficient are the allocated land use zones, if the land use groups adhere to the plan and whether the available strategies enhance adherence to the land use plan. This study was designed to empirically identify land use implementation problems and suggest solutions relevant to the land users, the government, planners and other stakeholders. Primary data were collected through household survey of 120 respondents from two villages, key informants, focus group discussions and field observation survey while secondary data were collected through review of guidelines for land use planning, village land use plans, district land use framework, books and journals. Information used to assess sufficiency of land use zones and strategies used in Village Land Use Plan (VLUP) from household survey and village records were descriptively analysed. GPS points to examine adherence to VLUPs were analysed using Kappa statistic. Factors influencing adherence to VLUPs were analysed using binary logistical regression and pair-wise ranking. Findings showed that the allocated zones were insufficient for the current and future needs whereby 90% of the respondents declared insufficiency of the allocated zones. Discrepancies were noted in the size of land in the VLUP document and those digitised via Arcview GIS. Kappa analysis resulted to moderate adherence with kappa coefficient of 0.47 and 0.49 for Iragua and Kichangani villages. Corruption of village leaders, failure of village leaders to implement, lack of awareness on land use plans and increased population were the key prioritised factors that affected adherence to land use plans. The study recommends a review of the zoning standards to enhance sufficiency of allocated zones; privatization of grazing land; establishment of communal grazing management plans; and involvement of communities in developing complete plans. The study also recommends close monitoring; reviewing of VLUPs; enforcement of good governance; establishing incentive schemes; offering continuous education and awareness, and developing participatory implementation framework with clearly stipulated roles, strategies, milestones and indicators as well as resource mobilisation strategy.