Smallholders lose land to large-scale farmers: study

The Citizen | 5 June 2014
Medium_sagcot
"At Lipokela, farmers had two options to leave their plots: accept small amounts of money or miss both the money and land. All the citizens opted for the little amount of money because of the police fear."

Smallholders lose land to large-scale farmers: study

By Felix Lazaro, BusinessWeek Reporter

Dar es Salaam. Large-scale agricultural investments have grave repercussions for smallholder farming in the Southern Highlands.

A study titled ‘Sad stories about agricultural investment on right to food: A case of SAGCOT areas in Ruvuma’ notes that “cries of loss of land for small-scale farmers are widespread”.

SAGCOT is an acronym for Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania where the investments are being undertaken.

The study was conducted in Lipokela and Litukila villages where 5,000 acres and 50,000 acres respectively were taken by investors.

For fairness, researchers approached government officials in the areas of investment for comments with regard to various issues raised.

It was found that, despite stakeholders’ good efforts to bring about green revolution through SAGCOT, the goals might not be achieved.

The researchers conducted the study to establish whether such investments have adverse impacts on the rights to food of smallholder farmers. It was established that negative impacts on right to food, among others, have resulted from the tendency of giving investors land which is already occupied.

“Investments normally go to areas where people live, rendering small-scale farmers landless and becoming labourers of the investors,” notes the report.

In such a situation, the possibility also is that small-scale farmers are forced to produce what they don’t consume and consume what they do not produce.

After conducting four group discussions -- two from each village where the information collected was recorded -- and transformed into a documentary, the researchers established factors that made villagers in the surveyed areas lose land.

People’s ignorance

Some villagers said their ignorance made them lose large chunks of land which went to the investors.

“We learnt that the culture of kitu kidogo [bribe] has cost the majority of our people to lose such a valuable asset in life: land.”

Kitu kidogo is common in Tanzania that you cannot receive without giving. A mere botch plate of rice with beans earned Montara 50,000 acres of land from Litukila people,” notes the report.

A small-scale farmer at Lipokela whose name was not revealed by the study admitted that ignorance and hunger left them landless. “We were slightly confused. He (investor) promised us food. Actually, we suddenly got food. That was what mainly motivated us to give up land because many of us went there while hungry. So why couldn’t we not offer huge land? We gave him land,” said the farmer.

Another smallholder farmer from Litukila said illiteracy made them lose land. The farmer said during a meeting with the investor, villagers were given Sh2,000 each.

“The first day he (investor) came here, he deceived us that we could conduct meetings till 12 pm and gave us Sh2,000 each. Then he said we had sold all our land for Sh2,000. After the meeting, it was said by district, regional and national leaders that Litukila villagers sold all the land for Sh2,000.

Land acquired through force

Researchers exposed the story of investors who acquired land using police at Lipokela Village. At Lipokela, farmers had two options to leave their plots: accept small amounts of money or miss both the money and land. All the citizens opted for the little amount of money because of the police fear.

No solution was found to the problem. “It was so amazing to find leaders and villagers traded blame. Villagers have been blaming their leaders for defending investors while leaders blame villagers for carelessly selling their land,” note the researchers.

A district commissioner was quoted as saying “our people give their land to investors easily. Still, they complain.”

When the researchers approached another leader in one of the villages, the leader blamed his people for ignorance on land laws. “They know nothing and the population of those who know is less than 30 per cent. “

Corruption environment

The researchers also established the presence of corruption in the process of acquiring land for investment.

“Villagers believe leaders to have been corrupted by investors….One respondent said that in one of the public meeting with investors, a DC couldn’t allow any challenging opinions from the public. Whoever happened to challenge the interests of investors was forced to sit down and close up his or her mouth,” notes the report.

Also the research found that indicators of corruption were detected during interviews with two village leaders at Lipokela because the leaders had different information regarding land grabbing in their village.

“The village chairman sees nothing wrong with investors while the village executive considers investors in the village as a problem,” it notes.

“The citizens are still unhappy with losses of their land, but I tell them that our friends have everything, we have to accept results. If we say we should stick to our land it will be difficult because the investor has a title deed No. 40. He has been given everything. He will occupy the land for 99 years. He has all the rights,” he quoted one chairman.

According the report, the contradictory information by the chairman raises suspicion.

The researchers have recommended that knowledge on land value be given to small-scale farmers. Leaders and villagers should learn how to find common solutions to their problems instead of trading barbs.
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