Public Debate on Land Grabbing in Tanzania

[ngudzu]

Kama kuna kitu wenzio hawajali ni hiki cha kuuza ardhi. Kwa taarifa tu ni kwamba waziri Mkuu Pinda alipoenda Korea kuwaalika waje kuwekeza aliwaahidi hekta 100,000. wale jamaa wamekuja ndio wameanzia hapo Bonde la Rufiji wanaendelea kule Kilombero. wameingia ubia na RUBADA ambao hata hawana hatimiliki ya hayo maeneo kwa kuanzia na hekta 10,000. This was widely reported in the media since last year.

Kuna wadatch wanajiita BIOSHAPE walipewa msitu wa karibu hekta 200,000 kule Mavuji KIlwa, wakafyeka msitu kuuza magogo pale Ngaramtoni Arusha wakafungasha virago zao hakuna cha Jatropha wala nini kuna vibarua wanalinda magofu ya karakana pale Mavuji

Kampuni jingine la Sweden linaitwa SEKAB lilitaka hekta 500,000 Rufiji wakaishia kupata 50,000 kwa kuwahadaa wanavijiji kwa pilau na nyama na nyingine 25,000 kule Bagamoyo karibu na Ranchi ya Zanzibar na Bagamoyo (RAZABA) nao wakazuga na kilimo cha Miwa sasa wameuza kila kitu kwa kampuni ya ECOENEJIA wako karibu na hoteli ya Sea cliff pale.

Kwa kifupi makampuni kibao tu yanajimegea ardhi kadri watakavyo huku TIC wakiendelea kuwakuwadia na Wizara ya ardhi wakiwa wamelala fofofo. Kue Mufindi, Kilolo na Kiulombero kuna kampuni zimegeuza vijiji vya Mapanda, Idete, Chogo na Uchindile kuwa Misitu hadi kukosekana kwa ardhi ya kilimo ni mahekta kwa mahekta. Hao wanajiita New Forest and wengine Green Resources co. Hii kitu muda si mrefu italeta tifu nchini hapa. Basi angalau tuchangamke na sie kupata japo viwanja tusije kosa hata pa kuweka mguu kesho tu.

Najua wavivu na wazee wa cheap politics hawatasoma haya wanapenda vya udaku tu. lets wake up men!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mzee2000]

Kama kuna kitu wenzio hawajali ni hiki cha kuuza ardhi. Kwa taarifa tu ni kwamba waziri Mkuu Pinda alipoenda Korea kuwaalika waje kuwekeza aliwaahidi hekta 100,000. wale jamaa wamekuja ndio wameanzia hapo Bonde la Rufiji wanaendelea kule Kilombero. wameingia ubia na RUBADA ambao hata hawana hatimiliki ya hayo maeneo kwa kuanzia na hekta 10,000. This was widely reported in the media since last year.

Kuna wadatch wanajiita BIOSHAPE walipewa msitu wa karibu hekta 200,000 kule Mavuji KIlwa, wakafyeka msitu kuuza magogo pale Ngaramtoni Arusha wakafungasha virago zao hakuna cha Jatropha wala nini kuna vibarua wanalinda magofu ya karakana pale Mavuji

Kampuni jingine la Sweden linaitwa SEKAB lilitaka hekta 500,000 Rufiji wakaishia kupata 50,000 kwa kuwahadaa wanavijiji kwa pilau na nyama na nyingine 25,000 kule Bagamoyo karibu na Ranchi ya Zanzibar na Bagamoyo (RAZABA) nao wakazuga na kilimo cha Miwa sasa wameuza kila kitu kwa kampuni ya ECOENEJIA wako karibu na hoteli ya Sea cliff pale.

Kwa kifupi makampuni kibao tu yanajimegea ardhi kadri watakavyo huku TIC wakiendelea kuwakuwadia na Wizara ya ardhi wakiwa wamelala fofofo. Kue Mufindi, Kilolo na Kiulombero kuna kampuni zimegeuza vijiji vya Mapanda, Idete, Chogo na Uchindile kuwa Misitu hadi kukosekana kwa ardhi ya kilimo ni mahekta kwa mahekta. Hao wanajiita New Forest and wengine Green Resources co. Hii kitu muda si mrefu italeta tifu nchini hapa. Basi angalau tuchangamke na sie kupata japo viwanja tusije kosa hata pa kuweka mguu kesho tu.

Najua wavivu na wazee wa cheap politics hawatasoma haya wanapenda vya udaku tu. lets wake up men!!!!!!!!!

Well Said, nasikia Iddi Simba yupo katika mikakati ya kampuni ya Agrisol kupewa ardhi kibao huko kogoma

 

[Mzee2000]

Cha kushangaza watanzania wanaendelea tu na porojo za siasa, nobody seems to care, we are sleepwalking to colonization,

 

[nngu007]

Oh yeah ccm play by the rules...

Utamu wa AZIMIO LA ZANZIBAR huko hakuna ARDHI ILA BARA ULAFI HUO

 

[nngu007]

June 8th, 2011, 12:32 pm
Filed under: Africa | Tags: Tanzania, South Korea, China, pro poor growth in africa, agriculture in africa, land deals in africa, economic development in africa, robert bates, goran hyden, Emirates, Bangladesh

I am on record as having reservations about the latest scramble for Africa African governments leasing vital arable land to foreign companies and governments (esp. in the face of high levels of food insecurity in the region).

Like many, my first reaction was to protest against these land deals. Like most natural-resource concessions on the Continent, they appeared to favor only the foreigners and a tiny clique of well placed individuals in African governments – at the expense of the many.

But I am beginning to have second thoughts. This latest land grab on the continent maybe the catalyst of an African green revolution. Most African governments gave up on non cash-crop agriculture in the 1970s. Some, like Nigeria, abandoned agriculture wholesale and quickly became a net exporter of agricultural goods. Bad policy (see Bates) and non-agricultural resources (mostly oil and metals) were to blame.

My skepticism remains, but here are potential upsides:

1. Commercialization of non cash-crop agriculture: The vast majority of agricultural production in Africa takes place in smallholder farms that are hard to finance or insure (tea, coffee, and other cash crops get all the money). Their small sizes also limit the economic feasibility of improvements such as mechanization, irrigation, etc. The advent of commercial production of food crops in the region will have market effects, for sure. Agricultural SM&Es and even Big Agriculture will bring much needed capital to this vital sector of the economy.
2. Land consolidation: This is already happening (and is the main source of my skepticism regarding the benefits of these deals). With consolidation comes economics of scale, R&D, mechanization, etc. I hope that African governments will ensure that this latter day enclosure movement takes place in a humane manner. It is in their own interest since most of these governments’ political bases reside in the countryside and live on subsistence agriculture. Consolidation might also spur further growth by creating demand for more goods (people earn wages and their are no longer producing their own food). Remember that specialization determines the extent of the market (Adam Smith).
3. Technological diffusion: With commercialization will come irrigation, mechanization, use of fertilization, R&D, etc that will most certainly diffuse to the local agricultural sector. Rain-fed agriculture when you have the Nile, the Niger, the Voltas, the Congo, the Zambezi, Tana, Athi, etc, is so pre-Mesopotamia.
4. Political reforms: In my view, one of the key impediments to political reforms in Africa has been the persistence of what Hyden called the “uncaptured peasantry.” A landed peasantry that can live off the land allows politicians to play with the macro-economy like there is no tomorrow. If the people get off the land, the general performance of the national economy will have a bigger impact in their lives. Suddenly, reaction to stratospheric inflation rates and other failures in the macroeconomy will not be confined only to urban centres.

Discussion of the downside of these deals is already out there. It also helps to look at the potential upside (at least in the long-run). I remain convinced that the real pro-poor growth in Africa will come from SM&Es and big business, whether in agriculture or other sectors.

***

 

[nngu007]

Quite insightful. I never looked at it that way. However don't you think that with disposession of land as is happening elsewhere across the continent (west africa) and the tribal nature of land tenure in Kenya will devolve into reprisals of the "other"?
In Tanzania I assume, it will be easier to protect the property rights of large title holders than for tiny and fragmented plots without clear owners as is currently the case with communal lands. Check out what has happened to Geita, Mara, Shinyanga and even now Bagamoyo

 

[Mzee2000]

Sikiliza mahojiano haya kati ya BBC Tindu Lissu na Mama tibaijuka, Tindi Lissu is right , land deals in africa so far have negative consequencies.kama baada ya dakika kama tano utasikia topic.
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/whys/whys_20110609-1900a.mp3

 

[nngu007]

[h=1][/h]

A cassava farmer. Refugees will be displaced to give way to an agricultural multinational Picture: File
By KEVIN J KELLEY, Special Correspondent)

Posted Sunday, June 12 2011 at 11:04

The Tanzanian government is on the verge of concluding a deal with international investors that will result in evacuation of refugee resettlement areas to make way for cultivation of biofuels and genetically modified crops, a US-based research institute charges in a report released last week.

Related Stories

Under the land deal now being negotiated, AgriSol Energy Tanzania would develop 325,000 hectares in western Tanzania consisting of three refugee camps: Lugufu in Kigoma Province (25,000 ha); Katumba (80,317 ha) and Mishamo (219,800 ha), both in Rukwa Province.

“While Lugufu is now empty, Katumba and Mishamo sites are being evacuated by the Tanzanian government to make way for the project,” says the report by the Oakland Institute, which investigated internationally financed land deals in seven African countries.

Refugees lose out

The Tanzanian government announced a plan in 2008 to grant citizenship by 2010 to Burundian refugees who had begun settling in Katumba and Mishamo in 1972. About 162,000 people are covered by the citizenship plan.

“Yet, while the Tanzanian government is being celebrated internationally for this generosity, the refugees’ citizenship is contingent upon a coerced move from the places they have called home for the past 39 years,” the Oakland Institute says.

The report cites interviews with refugees who received Tanzanian citizenship in 2010 but who say “their legal status and actual certificates of citizenship were being withheld until they relocated to other areas of Tanzania,” according to the Oakland Institute. White South African farmers would be brought in to help develop the emptied tracts, the report adds.

Among the details being discussed, the institute notes, are the question of land title, since foreigners are not permitted to hold land titles in Tanzania. Tax holidays, repatriation of dollars out of Tanzania, waiver of duties on project-related imports, and commitment to construction of a rail link for Mishamo are also on the table for the talks between the Tanzanian government and the potential investors, the report says.

The deal is further contingent on the government’s creation of a regulatory framework for use of genetically modified crops, the institute adds.

Quick acquisition

“Though these issues are yet to be resolved, the process is well underway, with the expectation that the title of certificate of occupancy will be awarded within three months (as of April 2011),” the report says. It notes that the Tanzanian government “views AgriSol as part of its Kilimo Kwanza (agriculture first) policy initiative to modernise and commercialise the country’s agricultural sector.”

AgriSol Energy Tanzania was born of a partnership between US-based AgriSol Energy and Tanzania-based Serengeti Advisors Ltd, according to the institute’s year-long investigation. Serengeti Advisors is led by Bertram Eyakuze and Iddi Simba, a former director of the East African Development Bank as well as a former Trade and Energy minister of Tanzania.

Another key partner is Pharos Global Agricultural Fund, managed by a Dubai-based financial firm.

 

[Mwamanda]

Is it true ?If so the government should not rush to sign the agreement because the genetically modified food side effects are not known to human beings.Secondly we never know if there are minerals in the ground.Thirdly this will cause massive displacement of people and their properties and create new land conflicts to where they will be transferred.

 

[TANMO]

i.e Typical Tanzanian Leader....

 

[FaizaFoxy]

Hivi kwanini hambandiki picha na mnaweka thumbnails? like this:

​

 

[Mkenazi]

"The research exposed investors who said it is easy to make a deal - that they could usually get what they wanted in exchange for giving a poor tribal chief a bottle of Johnnie Walker [whisky]," said Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute.
"When these investors promise progress and jobs to local chiefs it sounds great, but they don't deliver."
The report said the contracts also gave investors a range of incentives, from unlimited water rights to tax waivers.
"No-one should believe that these investors are there to feed starving Africans. Press Release: Understanding Land Investment Deals in Africa | oaklandinstitute.org

Land Deal Briefs
Special Investigation: Understanding Land Investment Deals in Africa | oaklandinstitute.org

Aridhi ya yalikowa makao ya wakimbizi huko kigoma na Rukwa

View attachment OI_AgriSol_Brief[1].pdf

 

[TANMO]

Hivi kwanini hambandiki picha na mnaweka thumbnails? like this:

​

Nashukuru kwa msaada, pia samahani kwa usumbufu Bi. FaizaFoxy........

 

[Mkeshahoi]

iwapo wazawa tumelala...tutarajie nini?1

 

[Mshume Kiyate]

Ahahahahah...

 

[FaizaFoxy]

Ahahahahah...

Chatu dume nakuomba kwa hisani yako hebu ibadilishe hiyo avatar yako. Inatisha! si bora ungeweka ya chatu.

 

[m_kishuri]

Waafrika tumeliwa.

 

[m_kishuri]

Tusiishie kwenye hii katoon ya Mwampemba (GADO) kuhusu hili suala. Tupia jicho links za habari hapo chini kuhusu suala hili.

Hedge funds 'grabbing land' in Africa
Hedge funds are behind "land grabs" in Africa to boost their profits in the food and biofuel sectors, a US think-tank says.
In a report, the Oakland Institute said hedge funds and other foreign firms had acquired large swathes of African land, often without proper contracts.
BBC News - Hedge funds 'grabbing land' in Africa

Press Release: Understanding Land Investment Deals in Africa | oaklandinstitute.org

 

[engmtolera]

The Tanzanian government is on the verge of concluding a deal with international investors that will result in evacuation of refugee resettlement areas to make way for cultivation of biofuels and genetically modified crops, a US-based research Oakland Institute (link, click), which investigated internationally financed land deals in seven African countries charges in a report released last week.

“Though these issues are yet to be resolved, the process is well underway, with the expectation that the title of certificate of occupancy will be awarded within three months (as of April 2011),” the report says. It notes that the Tanzanian government “views AgriSol as part of its Kilimo Kwanza (agriculture first) policy initiative to modernise and commercialise the country’s agricultural sector.”

Under the land deal now being negotiated, AgriSol Energy Tanzania would develop 325,000 hectares in western Tanzania consisting of three refugee camps: Lugufu in Kigoma Province (25,000 ha); Katumba (80,317 ha) and Mishamo (219,800 ha), both in Rukwa Province.

AgriSol Energy Tanzania was born of a partnership between US-based AgriSol Energy and Tanzania-based Serengeti Advisors Ltd, according to the institute’s year-long investigation. Serengeti Advisors is led by Bertram Eyakuze and Iddi Simba, a former director of the East African Development Bank as well as a former Trade and Energy minister of Tanzania. Another key partner is Pharos Global Agricultural Fund, managed by a Dubai-based financial firm.

 

[nngu007]

By In2EastAfrica - Mon Jun 20, 11:39 am

Lake Manyara Hotel


Chemchem villagers in Karatu District have locked their top leaders out of office for allegedly "secretly selling off" land on which their main source of clean and safe water was located.

The leaders allegedly sold off to an investor – Lake Manyara Hotels & Lodges – three hectares of land on which are three water tanks, with the capacity of storing millions of litres of water, a lifeline for over 4,000 villagers. The water tanks have been there since 1975.

The ousted leaders are Tlatlaa Bura who was chairman and Richard Bura the village executive officer (VEO).

The Guardian, which visited the village in Rhotia ward in the district, learnt that the decision to lock the village leaders out of office, almost a month ago, was taken at an impromptu meeting, which was also attended by the Acting Executive Director for Karatu, Clement Berege.

The villagers learnt about the deal after the investor began fencing the area including the three water tanks, denying them access to clean and safe water after the "buyer" decided to disconnect supply to them.

"The meeting which voted against the village leaders was attended by 394 out of 397 villagers," a Chemchem resident, Matias Sulle told 'The Guardian' in the village located more than 140km from Arusha.

"We were shocked to see our tanks enclosed and when we asked our leaders about the actions of the investor, their responses were not convincing," another villager, Eliakim Lulu said, adding that one of the investor's representatives told them that the area had been sold to the investor by the village leaders.

"This area is our main source of water, and we're wondering as to why these leaders took such a decision," Lulu lamented.

The price of water has gone up with a 20-litre jerrican now selling at 1,000/-, Lulu said, adding that most are too poor villagers to afford the water price.

"Since May 18, this year, our taps have no water because the said investor has disconnected it," said Pauline Albert (35), a mother of three, adding: "We're now trekking 10kms to get water for domestic use. And I'm forced to reduce the number of jerricans I used per day."

She said no leader at the district level has responded to the people's queries over the ‘deal'.
Chemchem village is now being run by a "special select committee", until the district authority sets a date for the village to elect its leaders.

"The village office will remain closed because there was no official hand-over between the committee and the voted out leadership," said Them Juma Msemo.

He also asked government leaders to ensure that people's concerns are addressed in an effort to avert unnecessary conflicts.

Msemo accused government leaders of "protecting" the so called "investors and rich people" at the expense of people at the grass-roots levels.

When contacted for comments, the two ousted leaders told the reporter to call later. When the reporter called as instructed, their phones were switched off.

Rhotia Ward Councillor, Christine Bura Ng'ola alleged the village leaders used fake signatures of the people said to have been involved in the deal.

Bura who is a special seats councillor said: "Investors have been using people's poverty to accomplish their mission."
She added that land conflicts in the area have been increasing in recent years as investors used dollars to acquire properties cheaply.

Emmanuel William, a representative of Lake Manyara Hotels and Lodges said he was not the spokesperson and instead directed the reporter to contact Freddy Tenga, the group's operations manager who neither admitted nor denied the matter.

District Executive Director, Clement Berege, however, confirmed to have received complaints about the land conflict in the area, saying that the matter is in the hands of the district security committee.

He said the committee is chaired by the Karatu District Commissioner, Mathew Sedoyeka, who is the spokesperson in the district, located 140km from Arusha.

When contacted, DC Sedoyeka said he was on leave and would comment on the matter when he resumed work.

Karatu District is strategically situated between Ngorongoro Crater and the Lake Manyara National Park, hence attracting more investors and rich people intending to establish tourist camps and lodges in the area.
By Lusekelo Philemon, The Guardian