Feed the Future Tanzania Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) Monthly Report No. 62 - January 2021

The project focuses on supporting the Government of Tanzania's efforts to implement the Village Land Act of 1999, which provides for the registration of customary land rights. In January 2021, LTA made significant progress in delivering Certificates of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCROs) in Iringa District and the Mbeya Region. The project completed the demarcation and adjudication of land parcels in five villages in Iringa District, including Wangama, Isupilo, Nyabula, and Sadani. LTA also assisted in demarcating 263 land parcels in Mbarali village, 405 land parcels in Mbarali village, and 393 land parcels in Kaning'ombe village. LTA continued to educate village land governance institutions and individual villagers on land use planning and land registration. The project provided training sessions to educate village authorities in Kihanga, Isupilo, and Nyabula villages, and conducted village assembly trainings, women's sensitization trainings, and hamlet-level trainings in the same villages. The project also focused on developing and field-testing the beneficiary contribution model, which aims to encourage villagers to contribute to the land registration process. LTA organized and participated in Village Councils and Village Assemblies in Kihanga, Kikombwe, Nyabula, Isupilo, and Wangama villages to emphasize and encourage beneficiary contributions. In terms of land use planning, LTA completed the preparation of village land use plans (VLUP) for Wangama, Isupilo, and Nyabula villages. The project also assisted the Iringa District Council in preparing VLUP reports for 26 villages in Iringa district. Overall, the LTA project aims to improve land tenure security for rural communities in Tanzania by supporting the Government of Tanzania's efforts to implement the Village Land Act of 1999. The project's focus on beneficiary contributions and land use planning is expected to encourage villagers to take an active role in the land registration process and to promote sustainable land use practices. The project's progress in January 2021 was significant, with the completion of demarcation and adjudication of land parcels in five villages in Iringa District and the Mbeya Region. The project's efforts to educate village land governance institutions and individual villagers on land use planning and land registration are also expected to contribute to the project's overall goal of improving land tenure security for rural communities in Tanzania. In the coming reporting period, LTA plans to initiate implementation of systematic village land registration based on the beneficiary contribution model in ten villages in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region. The project also plans to assist the Iringa District Council in submitting VLUP reports to the National Land Use Planning Commission for publication in the government gazette. Overall, the LTA project's progress in January 2021 demonstrates its commitment to improving land tenure security for rural communities in Tanzania. The project's focus on beneficiary contributions and land use planning is expected to promote sustainable land use practices and to encourage villagers to take an active role in the land registration process.