Intervening in Land Conflicts through Learning Platforms

Conflict Learning Platforms on land issues have proved to be effective in bringing together warring groups, namely farmers and pastoralists, especially in Kiteto where the Non-State Actors Support Programme (NSASP) has recently managed to run a series of debates on the matter.

            One of the ways to discover local governance systems is through learning platforms, where local authorities and various groups including Non-State Actors meet to express their views in a free and moderated way. The approach is used by the Non-State Actors Support Programme to provide a platform for stakeholders to exchange views and experience on how people are being engaged in the development and decision-making processes.

            Collaborating with a Kiteto-based Network for Human Rights Advocacy (NHRA), the NSASP organized a series of learning platforms in the conflict prone areas to identify the cause and impact and provide a room for warring parties to air their views and chart out the way forward to finding lasting solutions to the conflicts.    

             Kiteto District is awash with land conflicts. Many people have been killed as a result of the intermittent clashes between pastoralists and farmers. Statistics indicate that since 2005, at least 70 people have been killed and hundreds others injured in clashes involving farmers and pastoralists. The NSASP decided to facilitate learning platforms with the aim of enabling   participants to freely air their views and reach an agreement on ways to be used in tackling the problems.

            The first learning platform which was held January 26, this year, in Engusero Village was planned for 80 participants. However, due to the importance of the topic, more people requested to participate and as a result more than 100 participants took part. During the discussion it became evident that both pastoralists and farmers were confronted by many problems, but lacked the opportunity to share them with other stakeholders.

            Apart from holding three-day training on good governance for selected villagers, the NSASP decided to sponsor more learning platforms in other villages. So far more than 400 people have participated in about four learning platforms held in different villages from late January to mid March 2009.

            Sharing his experiences on land conflicts, a farmers’ representative, Erick Mafuru, said one of the reasons for the conflicts was the unclear village boundaries set up following the Land Act of 1999, which did not consider the issue of population increase. On policy issues, he said that the Land and Agriculture & Livestock policies do not address pastoralists' and farmers' needs.

            Dwelling on leadership, Mr. Mafuru said elected leaders were confusing voters by giving them false information in order to win elections.  Human rights are denied through corruption by security officers and public servants, he said. Mafuru mentioned cultural barriers as one of the causes of land conflicts, giving example of some tribes that believe that every green plants such as maize is for their cattle.  

            Speaking at the occasion Mr. Karasinga Tandaa, admitted that land conflicts occurred yearly in their location. He attributed the conflicts to village and ward leaders who re-locate land each year, saying at times one area is reallocated three times a year.  “Pastoralists have been submitting their complaints to the district government, but to no avail”, Mr Tandaa asserted  

            The district government was blamed for issuing reconciliation letters without making follow-ups. Poor supervision of laws, lack of accountability and pastoralists’ habit of selling plots to farmers were the issues reported to be complicating the reconciliation initiatives. 

            At the end participants concurred that there were three causes to the land conflicts in Kiteto District. These were named as low level of education on conflict management among pastoralists and farmers, pastoralists’ habit of grazing their cattle into farmers’ fields and tribalism.

            It came to the fore that killings have been going on since 1985 due the conflicts; with the worst happening in 2004-2005 when over 19 people were killed and others injured. And as a result of the conflicts corruption and failure by the communities to perform their daily activities have been the rule other than the exception.