Home to Field Distance in western Bagamoyo, Tanzania: Lessons for Rural Development Policy and Practice
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Date
2011
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
College of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
Long home to field distance and its impact on agricultural productivity attracted concern from researchers after Tanzania’s villagisation program in mid 1970s, but has drawn less attention in recent years. This paper establishes the status, causes and implications to rural development, of home to field distance in western Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Home to field distance has increased as farmers abandon agricultural land near villages that is exhausted due to continuous cultivation without adequate use of external inputs. Land near the village has become scarce and more expensive as is demanded for settlement development. Farmers seek land, which their families had occupied prior to villagisation as well as clear fresh bush land that is farther away from residential areas. To cope with long home to field distance farmers migrate temporary to field where they live in temporary structures for 3 to 6 months. These farmers’ strategies to alleviate the distance problem are not sustainable as they will lead to further land degradation. Policy and practice for rural development need to take into account farmers’ needs for agricultural intensification and their temporary mobility.
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Keywords
agricultural production, rural settlements, home to field distance, Bagamoyo District, Tanzania
Citation
Sokoni, C.H., 2011, Home to Field Distance in western Bagamoyo, Tanzania: Lessons for Rural Development Policy and Practice, UTAFITI, vol 8, No 2, 86-98