Feed the Future Tanzania Land Tenure Assistance (LTA) Monthly Report No. 65

LTA successfully lobbied the Iringa District Council to include the review and approval of village land use plan (VLUP) bylaws for 11 villages on its full council quarterly meeting agenda. As a result, LTA secured the approval of the VLUP bylaws for 11 villages by the full District Council. LTA also initiated adjudication and demarcation activities in three villages in Iringa district. A significant number of parcels were adjudicated and demarcated in these villages. Prior to the demarcation and adjudication activities, LTA provided training to parasurveyors and members of Village Adjudication Committee. Furthermore, LTA assisted in the demarcation and adjudication of 70 land parcels in Mfyome, 32 land parcels in Ng'enza, and 45 parcels in Kibena, which were previously kept on hold due to administrative issues. In addition, LTA completed textual and spatial data cleaning for Ng'enza and Kaning'ombe villages in Iringa district based on the results of public display of the objection and correction process. The edited list of claims for these villages was submitted to the Authorized Land Officer for review and approval for CCRO printing and registration. The list for Kaning'ombe was approved, and LTA assisted in printing and registering a total of 1,050 CCROs for Kaning'ombe Village. Data cleaning for the remaining four villages is ongoing, and LTA plans to submit the edited list of claims for approval in the next reporting month. LTA, in collaboration with Kilolo District Council and the District Land Office (DLO), introduced the Village Land Registration (VLR) process through the beneficiary contribution model to the village councils and Village Assemblies in four villages in Kilolo district. The Village Councils of the four villages appointed Village Land Registration Committee members and signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) and Village Land Registration Agreements (VLRA) between the villages, the Kilolo District Council, and LTA to determine the modality of implementation. LTA continued strengthening the capacity of village land governance institutions with respect to land administration and village land use plan enforcement. In collaboration with Kilolo and Iringa District authorities, LTA conducted three village council trainings in Ukumbi and Masalali in Kilolo District and Kihanga village in Iringa District. The trainings covered various topics, including basic principles of land laws, introduction to the village land registration process using MAST, and beneficiary contribution. LTA also continued to raise awareness among village residents regarding land rights. In collaboration with the DLO of the Iringa and Kilolo District Councils, LTA conducted five village assembly trainings and 18 hamlet level sensitization trainings in three villages in Iringa District and four villages in Kilolo District. The trainings focused on the enforcement of village land use planning, land rights of vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and pastoralists, an introduction to the village land registration process, the beneficiary contribution model, and dispute resolution. In the reporting month, LTA intensified its efforts to collect beneficiary contributions from Mbeya, Mbarali, and Iringa District villages. LTA attended the Village Assembly meetings of nine Iringa villages to encourage beneficiaries to make their contributions in accordance with the agreement they made with LTA. LTA staff also communicated directly with beneficiaries from two villages in Mbeya DC, 11 villages in Mbarali District, and four villages in Iringa. LTA continued laying the groundwork for ensuring the sustainability of its activity through a financially and organizationally viable successor NGO. In the reporting month, LTA made focused efforts to secure funding for the LTA-NGO and setting the stage for the NGO to start implementing systematic village land registration activities as an independent entity.