Institutional Capacity of the Village Land Councils in Managing Land use Conflicts between Farmers and Pastoralists: across Case Analysis of the selected Districts in Tanzania

Abstract

The establishment of the Village Land Councils in Tanzania intended to resolve land based conflicts either among farmers or between farmers and pastoralists. Rural people in Tanzania have been affected with such endless conflicts which have brought social and economic chaos in the respective communities. The study focuses on assessing the institutional capacity of the VLC in managing land use conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in Mbarali, Tunduru and Kilosa districts. Key informant interviews and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the land and legal officers working in the District Authorities, Village Chairpersons, Village Executive Officers and members of the Village Land Councils respectively. NVivo software 14 was used to analyze the qualitative data. The results depicted that Village Land Councils had played a significant role in resolving land based conflicts between farmers and pastoralists through mediation. However, inability to enforce VLCs’ decisions makes the organs weak and thus encouraging endless violence in rural communities. The study suggests for the need of reviewing the land policy and land act in order to add more powers for the VLCs in order to enhance accountability and rule of law in the marginalized communities where formal judiciary services are not available and accessible. Keywords: Farmers and Pastoralists Conflicts, Village Land Council, Institutional Capacity, Mediation Services DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/94-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2024