Nicholas J. Haan
Causal Influences of Transitioning Rural Economies on ohe Miombo
Woodlands of Tanzania
Project Summary
The overall objective of the study is to understand processes of land use/cover change in
rural Africa, especially in the context of transitioning rural economies from
subsistence-based to market-based production. Land use/cover change is analyzed over the
past thirty years using satellite imagery, and linked to village level socio-economic
analysis. The study investigates human dimensions of environmental change beyond the
oft-cited population-based explanations. As well, this research project focuses on a
little studied geographical area, Southeast Tanzania, of significant importance for miombo
ecosystems.
“Miombo” woodlands, an ecosystem stretching from Central East
to West Africa dominated by Brachystegia, Julbernardia, and Isoberlinia, are a unit of
ecological analysis for research on global deforestation, as exemplified by the
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme’s research project entitled “The
Miombo Network”. This formation also constitutes a “social forest” as a
widely shared and utilized resource for rural peoples’ livelihood security. Almost
50% of the land area and 97% of the total forested area of Tanzania consists of miombo
woodlands. Up to 300,000 hectares of miombo is lost annually, making the ecosystem a
national environmental conservation priority . This deforestation involves the actions of
local, indigenous occupants and, as such, research on the extent, causes, and affects of
miombo deforestation must incorporate community based social analysis.
The Government of Tanzania made a dramatic transition in 1985 from a
political economy of African Socialism to one more aligned to Western styled capitalism.
Much of the research to date on the effects of this transition have focused on national
level institutions. This study examines the effects of this transition on the behavior of
active agents at the village level, with a particular interest in differentiation, and
ultimately the status of the miombo woodlands.
Research Questions and Hypotheses
While the unit of analysis is local communities, this research project
is guided by the overarching questions of the global change community dealing with
land-use/cover change: (1) What are the scale and rate of deforestation of miombo
woodlands in southeastern Tanzania over the past twenty years? (2) What are the human
driving forces of this deforestation? More specifically, the research focuses on the
second question by examining the linkages among market induced changes in ideologies,
community-based resource management institutions, and deforestation of miombo woodlands.
Thus, the main research question is: Is the pace and scale of deforestation in the miombo
woodlands driven by changing ideologies and institutions of resource use created by a
changing political economy? To answer this principal research question requires the
resolution of a set of structurally linked hypotheses about the dynamics of miombo forest
use.
(1) The pace and scale of the loss of miombo woodlands have
increased over the last decade. This hypothesis follows from various reports on
deforestation in the miombo region of Tanzania as well as from the broader relationships
articulated in cultural and political ecology and land use/cover change research. Changes
in the pace and scale question must be established as the backdrop for the remainder of
the study.
(2) Deforestation of the miombo woodlands is undertaken primarily
by local agents who challenge customary views about the long-term use of the woodlands and
the customary institutions that govern that use. All land management systems are based on
rules of use embedded within a “shared” or dominant view of how the land should
be used—for the community, the individual, and so forth. Emergent theory suggests
that when these views and institutions breakdown, land-use changes of degrading kind take
place.
(3) Challenges to customary use of the miombo woodlands is linked
to the acceptance of market values by some members of the former customary community. This
hypothesis follows from studies demonstrating the role of markets to alter behavior among
subsistence economies.
Methodology
The hybrid methodology utilizes muti-date Landsat satellite imagery to detect
deforestation types and rates over the past 30 years, as well as participatory social
analysis at the village, household, and individual levels. A formal survey was conducted
as well as group and individual interviews. Additionally, many secondary sources are
analyzed. As the conversion of miombo woodlands into cashew farms (for cash crops) is
common in Southeastern Tanzania, the research design uses the conversion into cashew as an
indicator of market integration. Cashew trees can be detected by thematic mapper satellite
imagery.
Significance
This research project will add important analysis on the dynamics of social change driving
miombo deforestation. The research will contribute to a variety of cultural and political
ecology theories pertinent to land degradation, agricultural change, economic integration,
and indigenous resource management. Moreover, it will lend insights into the debates about
the nature of subsistence and market transitions in Africa. As well, this work will create
another important regional “model” of deforestation, feeding into the
international program of study on Land-Use/Cover Change.
This research project will provide critical information concerning land cover dynamics to
the Tanzanian government as well as the global change community. As well, this work will
provide important insights to government policy makers and development practitioners whose
current promotion of indigenous resource management could be better informed about
internal contestation and the ability of local institutions to adapt to changing
situations.
Acknowledgment of Support