Land Use Conflicts between Farmers and Pastoralists in Mkoka and Songambele Wards in Kongwa District, Tanzania: Causes, Impacts, and Resolutions

Land use conflicts are complex disputes that contribute negative social and economic impacts within the heterogeneous societies. Land use conflict resolution still need further research because of various mindsets of the people. In this paper, the issues of land conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in Mkoka and Songambele wards in Kongwa District, Tanzania which could lead to low economic development are reviewed and the causes and effects of land use conflicts are outlined. Poor land governance, inappropriate of land use plans, inadequate land policies, land tenure insecurity, corruption are cited as being among of the main causes fuelling land use conflicts in Mkoka and Songambele wards in Kongwa District, Tanzania. Pastoralists move across the district with large herds of hungry livestock in search of pastures and water, the livestock are randomly led intofarms where they forage on whatever crops that may be in sight. Angered farmers often take the law into their hands and fight the pastoralists. Armed fights erupt resulting to human and livestock deaths, destruction of crops and homesteads. The National Land Policy (NLP) is a key instrument for land management and administration, land use planning, conflict resolution, and land tenure security. However, lack of land use plans in the rural areas, and the outdated National Land Policy of 1995 brought in focus of the recurring land conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. This paper provides how Mediation-Arbitration (MED-ARB) approach can be used in solving land conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. The recommendations have been made on this issue, and authors propose MED-ARB as the best way to put in place sustainable measures of land conflicts in Mkoka and Songambele wards, Kongwa district.