TITLE:
How Land Use Policies Are Transforming Shifting Cultivation to Short Fallow Systems and Permanent Cultivation of Annual Crops in Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Charles Joseph Kilawe
KEYWORDS:
Land Use Planning, Land Use Change, Short Fallow Systems, Slash-and-Burn
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.14 No.4,
August
15,
2024
ABSTRACT: Recent studies show that shifting cultivation in Tanzania has transformed into more intensive farming practices. One of the drivers of this shift is the implementation of policies that favor sedentary farming. However, there is inadequate information on how this transformation operates at the village level. Based on a case study of one village in Central Tanzania, this study demonstrates that the village land use plan is the primary policy tool for the transformation and intensification of shifting cultivation at the village level. Through the land use planning process, land is allocated only for lawful uses such as settlement, permanent cultivation, and the village forest reserve. No land is designated for shifting cultivation. Additionally, the land use plans are accompanied by by-laws that restrict shifting cultivation practices, such as the use of fire during land preparation and leaving the land fallow for more than 3 years. The intensification of shifting cultivation was not associated with an increase in the use of farm inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizer, or irrigation, as is commonly practiced in sustainable intensive agriculture. Instead, it was associated with the adoption of short fallow farming systems and labor-intensive land preparation methods, such as deep plowing to loosen the soil and sub-soiling vegetation.