Pawaga division is one of six divisions in Iringa District Council (IDC) in Iringa Region. In recent years, the division which has a total area of 684.3 square kilometre with 12 villages and 60 harmlets has been marred by several conflicts.

These conflicts prompted the Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) to conduct a baseline study on the impacts of land-based investment to rural communities in Tanzania. Our columnist GERALD KITABU who has just arrived from Pawaga interviewed Programmes Coordinator for Land based investments for TNRF, who is also a lawyer, Godfrey Eliseus Massay on the findings.

October 2014 was a ‘dialogue’ month linking the South to South and South to North. TNRF engaged effectively in two important dialogues. The first dialogue was the NORAD/WWF Regional CBNRM Dialogue which took place on the 20th and 21st of October in Lusaka, Zambia. The second dialogue was the Initial South-North Dialogue Regarding Investment in Locally Controlled Forests in Tanzania and Mozambique which took place on the 28th and 29th of October in Helsinki, Finland.

Title deeds of some investors in Iringa District should be revoked as their investments have never benefited neighboring communities, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) here have suggested.

They said some investors have been allowing pastoralists to use their investment plots at a fee, denying them access to grazing pasture.

They were speaking during the second community inception workshop on the state of land-based investment and resource conflicts. The workshop was designed for CSOs and organised by the Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) in Pawaga division.

Citing an example, they said some investors operating hunting blocks near the Ruaha National Park were supposed to pay annual fee of 25 percent to the government but it had never trickled down to villagers in the areas.

Pawaga division authorities in Iringa District have urged the government to conduct land use plan in all the villages to avoid land conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. They also challenged the government to allocate pastoralists to areas with adequate grazing pastures and build water infrastructures in a bid to avoid unnecessary land disputes. Speaking at the community workshop on the state of land based investment and resource conflicts, Mlenge Ward Councilor, Rashid Matimbwa said that many areas designed for pastoralists in different villages have no pastures and water infrastructures. The programme which titled ‘Ardhi Yetu’ is funded by CARE international, coordinated by CARE Tanzania and implemented by Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF).