Rural women's access to land: An appraisal of land rights campaigns in Missenyi district Tanzania

Abstract

This paper aimed at appraising the land rights campaigns towards women's land access in Missenyi District in Tanzania. The study was guided by Liberal Feminism Theory. The qualitative approach was used to help the participants explore their attitudes, behaviours, and understanding of the women's land rights campaigns. This approach enables a comprehensive assessment of the campaigns' effectiveness, their response within rural communities, and the factors influencing their implementation. The data for this study were gathered through semi-structured interview schedules, focus group discussions and observation schedules. The researcher analysed data through the thematic analysis procedure. The study involved fifty-three participants. These included; rural men, rural women, and religious and local government leaders. The findings indicate that campaigns have raised awareness of women's land rights. This is due to seminars, workshops, village and ward meetings, social cognition, and the enforcement of laws. Ultimately, the findings aim to inform more effective strategies for promoting rural women's land rights campaign and achieving gender equitable access to land resources in Missenyi District, Tanzania and similar contexts. Moreover, the study highlights the importance of sustained efforts in capacity-building, legal reform, and community engagement to ensure lasting improvements in rural women's access to land. The study recommends that more efforts through various campaigns are needed to raise awareness about land rights. Also, community members, especially women, still need more education and training to reduce their ignorance of women's land rights and dispel misconceptions about women's land access.