Projects In Tanzania Research Articles

Three new Critically Endangered Inversodicraea (Podostemaceae) species from Tropical Africa: I. senei, I. tanzaniensis and I. botswana

SummaryThree new species of Inversodicraea (Podostemaceae), I. senei from the Memv’ele falls of the Ntem River, Cameroon, I. tanzaniensis from the Ruhudji River near Lupembe, Southern Highlands, Tanzania, and I. botswana from the Kasane rapids on the Chobe River, Botswana, are described and illustrated. All three species are known from single sites. All three are assessed as Critically Endangered using the IUCN standard. With 35 species, Inversodicraea is the most species-diverse genus of Podostemaceae in continental Africa, to which it is endemic. Four species of Inversodicraea are now known to be sympatric and point endemics at Memv’ele Falls in Cameroon where a hydro-electric dam is being constructed, threatening them with global extinction. Equally, I. tanzaniensis is threatened by proposed hydro-electric projects in Tanzania. In contrast, I. botswana is threatened by sewage discharge and also by bridge construction.

Biochar as multi-purpose sustainable technology: experiences from projects in Tanzania

Biochar was recently included as a promising negative emissions technology (NET) in the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Unlike other NETs, it can potentially be used to mitigate global climate change while adding to local resilience in countries highly exposed and sensitive to impacts of climate change, such as least-developed countries (LDCs). The study is as an empirical contribution to the, as of yet, underdeveloped literature on deployment of negative emissions technologies in LDCs in general and on biochar use in developing countries and LDCs specifically. Nine historical and existing biochar projects in Tanzania are mapped in order to analyse problems, goals and common trade-offs associated with small- to medium-scale biochar production in LDCs. The mapping is based on a literature and document study, interviews with project actors, and on-site visits to biochar projects during 2019. The paper gives support to the observation made in the biochar literature that while biochar has many potential socio-economic and environmental benefits, combining them in one single project is difficult. It is concluded that implementing biochar projects in Tanzania will likely involve trade-offs between the development and subsistence strategies and needs of local communities, the motivational forces of different project participants, and the uneven regulatory capacity of the state. We end by reflecting on the use of biochar projects to offset carbon emissions made elsewhere.

The role of dissemination and implementation science in global breast cancer control programs: Frameworks, methods, and examples.

Global disparities in breast cancer outcomes are attributable to a sizable gap between evidence and practice in breast cancer control and management. Dissemination and implementation science (D&IS) seeks to understand how to promote the systematic uptake of evidence-based interventions and/or practices into real-world contexts. D&IS methods are useful for selecting strategies to implement evidence-based interventions, adapting their implementation to new settings, and evaluating the implementation process as well as its outcomes to determine success and failure, and adjust accordingly. Process models, explanatory theories, and evaluation frameworks are used in D&IS to develop implementation strategies, identify implementation outcomes, and design studies to evaluate these outcomes. In breast cancer control and management, research has been translated into evidence-based, resource-stratified guidelines by the Breast Health Global Initiative and others. D&IS should be leveraged to optimize the implementation of these guidelines, and other evidence-based interventions, into practice across the breast cancer care continuum, from optimizing public education to promoting early detection, increasing guideline-concordant clinical practice among providers, and analyzing and addressing barriers and facilitators in health care systems. Stakeholder engagement through processes such as co-creation is critical. In this article, the authors have provided a primer on the contribution of D&IS to phased implementation of global breast cancer control programs, provided 2 case examples of ongoing D&IS research projects in Tanzania, and concluded with recommendations for best practices for researchers undertaking this work.

Challenging the obsession with local level institutions in country ownership of climate change adaptation

Working with local level actors to enable country ownership is applauded within the multilateral climate finance landscape. However, are emerging adaptation interventions equitable by reflecting the priorities of local level vulnerable populations? This research sought to find out whether the engagement of local institutions in projects that seek to achieve country ownership enabled local level vulnerable groups to participate in and influence adaptation decision-making processes and outcomes, thereby enabling them to have a voice in local level adaptation. It used a case study of a Global Environmental Facility-managed coastal adaptation project in Tanzania, which sought to restore and protect mangroves to enable adaptation to sea level rise. Data was generated from 13 Focus Group Discussions and survey questionnaires administered to 629 individuals in three locations on the mainland of Tanzania and in Zanzibar. The findings indicate that community-based organizations were used to facilitate the implementation of project activities at the community level. However, participation spaces created in the project and facilitated by these local institutions were exclusionary and failed to enable vulnerable community groups to have a voice on mangrove restoration and protection. Use of these local institutions altered local level power relations and disempowered other pre-existing and (in)formal local resource management institutions. Community members questioned legitimacy of actions implemented by these local institutions. These findings suggest that working with local level stakeholders to generate country ownership does not automatically guarantee that actions will address the needs of local vulnerable groups. Multilateral climate finance institutions should acknowledge these risks and implement measures to address them.

A Survey of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Government Projects in Tanzania: A Case of Health Projects

A Survey of Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for Government Projects in Tanzania: A Case of Health Projects

Infrastructure projects in Tanzania: Obstacles and Challenges to improve infrastructure

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Do country-owned adaptation interventions reflect local level priorities? Application of a framings approach

ABSTRACT It is claimed that country ownership enables equitable adaption by ensuring that adaptation interventions address priorities of local level vulnerable populations. This paper uses a framings approach to understand whether country owned interventions are aligned with local level adaptation needs. Three framing - the rights and responsibility, capabilities and recognition framings-are used to identify principles of justice reflected in adaptation interventions and compares them to those expressed by local level communities expected to benefit from these interventions. A case study of a Least Developed Countries Fund-funded and Global Environment Facility-administered coastal adaptation project in Tanzania is used. The analysis finds differences between framings by the project and local communities. The project portrays a rights and responsibilities framing with emphasis on government-led technocratic adaptation. Local level communities prioritize the capabilities framing, where local natural resource management institutions are considered necessary for mediating between resource access by resource-dependent households and resource conservation for coastal adaptation. The findings suggest that country ownership may not necessarily be equitable as local level adaptation priorities can fail to be reflected in country owned interventions.

A Review of Agricultural Technology Transfer in Africa: Lessons from Japan and China Case Projects in Tanzania and Kenya

Agricultural technology transfer plays a chief role in transforming agricultural productivity in rural areas especially in the current setting where food demand surpasses the production capacity. Technology transfer facilitates the movement of soft and hard skills essential for improving farm production. Yet, the technical cooperation projects in Africa have been suffering from effectiveness and sustainability challenges while lacking responsiveness to local demand. This study applies a system dynamic method and a literature review to bring lessons from Japan and China’s experiences in agricultural technology transfer projects to Africa. Three cases in agricultural technical cooperation projects are presented: China—(Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center (ATDC) in Tanzania), Japan—(Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment Project (SHEP), and Rice Industry Development Support (RIDS) in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively). Japanese and Chinese agricultural technology has the potential to improve productivity and the livelihood of rural households. Nevertheless, strong linkages, commitment, and participation of all stakeholders in the design and implementation of agricultural technology transfer projects play an important role in enhancing project sustainability in the recipient countries. Further studies are recommended such as, to explain the agricultural technology transfer mechanism that fits well to equip beneficiary autonomy in terms of knowledge and capacity of production in the recipient country. The local governments need to set policy environments and institutional frameworks that encourage and support the agricultural technology transfer to benefit the rural farmers.

Conflict Causes and Prevention Strategies at the Society-Science Nexus in Transdisciplinary Collaborative Research Settings: A Case Study of a Food Security Project in Tanzania

Collaboration between researchers and society is essential when addressing challenging 21st Century questions. Such collaboration often comprises international, inter- and trans-disciplinary teams, as well as temporal constraints, resulting in inherently complex research projects. Although practitioners increasingly appreciate the value of bottom-up approaches, operational details are often overlooked. Further knowledge is necessary, especially about what might endanger project success. Using a food security project, this paper analyzes conflict experiences and prevention strategies between project members and local stakeholders through personal interviews and focus group discussions. Data for this case study was collected in four Tanzanian villages. This paper identifies multiple conflict drivers, including missing information transfers; diverging expectations; overlaps of field activities with seasonal farming activities; and obscure participant selection. Identified conflict prevention strategies include developing trust, reducing language barriers, and involving locals. Research practitioners, institutes, and hegemonic actors are responsible for ensuring that projects will not worsen the entered situation and negatively affect the community, adhering to the “do no harm” principle; therefore, it is vital to be aware and seek to improve international and collaborative research projects that actively involve local stakeholders. This paper supports the understanding of interacting with local communities in a food security context to support the development of innovative collaboration approaches and methods. Through collaboration, it is possible to find sustainable solutions to pressing issues.

In pursuit of multidimensional justice: Lessons from a charcoal ‘greening’ project in Tanzania

Over the last 30 years, Tanzania has adopted different policy approaches to conserve forests. However, the idea that providing livelihood benefits is a key strategy for achieving conservation effectiveness has persisted throughout the shift from earlier integrated conservation and development approach to the ‘newer’ green economy. This one-dimensional conception of what ‘local people’ value and why precludes a clear understanding of substantive social justice considerations – what is being contested, why, and by whom – when conflicts arise in policy implementation settings. Using a green economy project that addresses charcoal-driven forest loss in Kilosa, the paper examines a conflict between forest conservation and farming and studies the variegated notions of justice that farmers express in relation to the conflict. The paper builds upon a developing strand in the political ecology literature, namely of empirical analyses of rural people’s justice conceptions in environmental conservation, to demonstrate analytic and practical values of a multidimensional justice framework. It illustrates how the framework can help to assess and reframe environmental interventions, going beyond one-dimensional conceptions, to focus attention on the diverse ways in which justice can be recognised or denied at different levels and in different ways for different groups of people. Particularly, it highlights that context matters, as despite the distributional ‘success’ of the project, disregarded concerns over procedural and recognition justice dimensions led to farmers’ loss of land, covert resistance, and continued struggles over compensations. This paper therefore argues that being attentive to a range of justice dimensions can expose locally valued and contested conservation aspects, as well as guide more just environmental conservation.

Make the village better: An evaluation of the Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities Project in Tanzania and Bangladesh

Abstract A majority of people in developing countries suffer from chronic hunger due to food crises and poverty. This has attracted humanitarian organizations specializing in addressing hunger, food security and poverty to set up efforts aimed at reducing hunger and poverty among vulnerable communities. This study aims to evaluate the achievements of the Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities Project (SZHCP) of the World Food Program (WFP) implemented by Good Neighbors International (GNI) in partnership with Tanzanian and Bangladesh local governments, which ran from 2014 to 2018 in selected local communities in Tanzania and Bangladesh. The project targeted the most vulnerable communities to improve their livelihood and rural development programs in terms of food security, income generation, education, and infrastructure improvement through community-based activities. To collect information and data for evaluation, we conducted field research such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and household surveys in the target villages of the SZHCP in Tanzania and Bangladesh. Using qualitative analysis, difference-in-difference estimation, and linear regression on surveys of 1142 respondents, we show that the SZHCP significantly improved the livelihoods of beneficiaries in relation to zero hunger, and also increased income generation and promoted positive social changes. It has also helped to strengthen the capacity of communities to run development projects themselves. This study provides evidence-based analysis that could allow stakeholders and researchers to more fully engage with future community-based projects.

A Participatory Investigation of Dietary Diversity Amplifies Knowledge Coproduction and Participant Involvement in an Agroecological Intervention in Rural Tanzania (OR25-08-19)

ObjectivesNutrition-sensitive interventions often fail because they lack contextual awareness. Participatory dissemination (PD), the formal sharing of research data with participants, can improve impact by fostering coproduction of knowledge and increasing participant involvement in the project. Here, we demonstrate how PD revealed previously unidentified challenges and solutions to dietary diversity, and strengthened a nutrition-sensitive project in Tanzania. MethodsSingida Nutrition and Agroecology Project (SNAP-Tz) is a participatory intervention in sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and gender equity. Study staff shared simple graphs of village-level findings, including those about children’s diet and nutrition status in May-Jun 2017. Farmers (n = ∼175) from the 10 intervention villages reflected on and interpreted the data in groups of 2–12 (n = 26 groups). Discussions were recorded, transcribed in Swahili, and then translated to English. Thematic analyses and deductive coding were performed using Dedoose. ResultsThree main barriers to dietary diversity surfaced: 1. resource limitation was the main barrier identified (n = 42 mentions; 16 groups). Female-only groups disclosed that 2. gender inequity limits women’s control of household resources and priority to food (n = 22; 13). This exacerbates resource limitation, especially when coupled with some men’s alcohol consumption. 3. Cultural beliefs discourage the consumption of eggs (n = 7; 6).Two solutions were to: 1. encourage gender equity by including women in financial decisions and involving men in childcare (n = 6, 5 by males; 4), and 2. invest in livestock to become self-reliant for eggs, milk, and meat. Those with livestock noted the desire to use their production more for their families and not only for sale (n = 7; 5). ConclusionsPD opened up a space for peer-mentorship as participants shared previously unconsidered solutions. Mentor farmers amplified efforts for gender equity and began addressing cultural beliefs with these interpretations. Further, findings suggested avenues for quantitative exploration with survey data. This exercise strengthened the contextual understanding and participant involvement in the project, ensuring the intervention’s success. Funding SourcesMcKnight Foundation and Atkinson Center for Sustainable Futures of Cornell University funded this study.

Beneficiary Involvement in Sustainability of Donor-funded Project: Extent and Effectiveness

This study sought to examine the influence of beneficiary involvement on sustainability of donor funded projects using OLMULO water project in Arusha region as a case study. The motivation behind this study comes from various findings and observations that show that sustainability of rural water supplies is a major challenge in Tanzania that has accelerated a challenge in regards to access safe water in the country. The study deployed a correlation and regression analysis in a dataset of 309 respondents referred herein as beneficiaries of OLMULO donor-funded project. Pearson correlation coefficient test together with Chi-square and T-tests were used to assess the strength of the relationship between independent variables and variable. The Pearson R-value of 0.605 with a p-value of 0.000 was found representing a positive and very statistically significant correlation of 60% between beneficiary involvement and sustainability of donor-funded projects. The t-test reported bigger t-value, ranging from t=50 to t=218, the more likely is that the results or response from most respondents are similar (repeatable) as equally supported by low values of standard deviations as well as standard error mean(s). Using collinearity diagnostic tests (tolerance statistics and VIF values) in the regression output, a multicollinearity concerns was detected. In solving the multicollinearity problem, all highly correlated variables were excluded from the model. The model predicted 92% variation in project sustainability from the given change in the level or ways beneficiaries are getting involved in the management of the project. The R-square (R2 =0.366) implies that the total variance in sustainability of project is explained by level of beneficiary involvement in managing a project only in the tune of only 37% while the residual 63% remains explained by other factors away from management of the project by beneficiaries. These other factors are represented by the error term (et) component in the regression equation. Therefore, further research (perhaps using different methodology) should be conducted to investigate the other unknown factors beyond involvement in management of projects that also influence the sustainability of donor-funded projects in Tanzania. Thus, project sustainability must or must not only depend on beneficiary involvement in managing the projects, instead, there is potential for increasing project sustainability by paying close attention to other factors that are potential to sustainability of donor-funded projects. However, following limitations of the study, the findings and arising policy implications of this study are as well not foolproof and thus the empirical evidence at this stage is only suggestive and is open for further research.

Seismic Evidence for Plume‐ and Craton‐Influenced Upper Mantle Structure Beneath the Northern Malawi Rift and the Rungwe Volcanic Province, East Africa

AbstractP and S wave tomographic models have been developed for the northern Malawi rift and adjacent Rungwe Volcanic Province (RVP) using data from the Study of Extension and maGmatism in Malawi aNd Tanzania project and data from previous networks in the study area. The main features of the models are a low‐velocity zone (LVZ) with δVp = ~−1.5–2.0% and δVs = ~−2–3% centered beneath the RVP, a lower‐amplitude LVZ (δVp = ~−1.0–1.3% and δVs = ~−0.7–1%) to the southeast of the RVP beneath the center and northeastern side of the northern Malawi rift, a shift of the lower‐amplitude anomaly at ~−10° to −11° to the west beneath the central basin and to the western side of the rift, and a fast anomaly at all depths beneath the Bangweulu Craton. The LVZ widens further at depths &gt;~150–200 km and extends to the north beneath northwestern Malawi, wrapping around the fast anomaly beneath the craton. We attribute the LVZ beneath the RVP and the northern Malawi rift to the flow of warm, superplume mantle from the southwest, upwelling beneath and around the Bangweulu Craton lithosphere, consistent with high 3He/4He values from the RVP. The LVZ under the RVP and northern Malawi rift strongly indicates that the rifted lithosphere has been thermally perturbed. Given that volcanism in the RVP began about 10 million years earlier than the rift faulting, thermal and/or magmatic weakening of the lithosphere may have begun prior to the onset of rifting.

Changing energy geographies: The political effects of a small-scale electrification project

This article contributes theoretically and empirically to our understanding about how a transition to 'modern and sustainable energy for all' may reconfigure the life of citizens who live 'outside the grid' in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. My inquiry is inspired by the question posed by James Ferguson and Tania Murray Li: what do development schemes do? I analyse a renewable energy pilot project in Tanzania that was implemented by an NGO, which eventually failed to continue its service delivery but still produced important effects. Conceptually, I build on and extend previous arguments about how development projects produce depoliticizing effects, have ambiguous effects, and reproduce unequal relations of power. Building on feminist and sociotechnical relational approaches to power, I identify when and where in the encounter between energy project and local community that these, and other, effects emerge. Case study data was collected by qualitative methodology, and consists of project documentation, observation, and interviews with actors involved. The study shows how particular material, social, emotional, and economic effects emerged from the encounter between the project and local society. Feedback between technical problems, financial difficulties, and social tensions created a downward spiral resulting in system failure. It had negative effects on the credibility of actors and on trust relations. I argue that asking what decentralized electrification schemes actually 'do' can provide insight relevant to energy geography, as the focus on effects reveals the sociotechnical and political relations through which electricity becomes possible and how it may reconfigure local places. The case study shows why and how a small-scale, renewable energy project only temporarily repositioned actors and places, produced ambiguous effects, and maintained unequal power relations.

An Evaluation of Pre-Contract Cost Planning Process for Building Projects in Tanzania

An Evaluation of Pre-Contract Cost Planning Process for Building Projects in Tanzania

REDD+, hype, hope and disappointment: The dynamics of expectations in conservation and development pilot projects

Abstract We explore the dynamics of expectations in international forest conservation and development programs, and the impacts and implications of (unfulfilled) expectations for actors involved. Early stages of new international conservation and development programs, often involving pilot projects designed to test intervention concepts at village level, are characterized by large amounts of resources and attention, along with high expectations of success. However, evidence shows that these early expectations are rarely fulfilled. Despite this repeated pattern and growing engagement with expectations in critical conservation and development literature, little is known about the dynamics of expectations in conservation and development pilot projects. We address this knowledge gap first by exploring concepts from the sociology of expectations. We then unpack expectations in a case study of REDD+ pilot projects in Tanzania, using extensive qualitative data reflecting the perspectives and experiences of a wide range of actors involved. Our study finds that expectations play a performative role, mobilizing actors and resources, despite uncertainty identified among policy-makers and practitioners. We also find that once raised, expectations are dynamic and continually mediated by actors and social contexts, which conflicts with attempts to ‘manage’ them. We argue therefore that a trade-off exists between fully piloting new initiatives and raising expectations. We also argue that failure to address this trade-off has implications beyond pilot project objectives and timelines, which are experienced most acutely by village communities. We argue for more critical engagement with expectations and the embedding of accountability for expectations in conservation and development practice. Our findings also challenge the discourse of ‘needing’ to pilot, which prioritizes awareness, impact and innovation without fully considering the potential negative impact of unfulfilled expectations.

Cultural background, gender, and institutional status have an effect on the evaluation of multi-disciplinary participatory action research.

Research and development increasingly apply participatory approaches that involve both stakeholders and scientists. This article presents an evaluation of German and Tanzanian researchers’ perceptions during their activities as part of a large interdisciplinary research project in Tanzania. The project focused on prioritizing and implementing food-securing upgrading strategies across the components of rural food value chains. The participants involved during the course of the project were asked to provide feedback on 10 different research steps and to evaluate eight core features related to the functioning and potential shortcomings of the project. The study discriminated among evaluation differences linked to culture, gender, and institutional status. Perceptions differed between Tanzanian and German participants depending on the type and complexity of the participatory research steps undertaken and the intensity of stakeholder participation. There were differences in perception linked to gender and hierarchical status; however, those differences were not as concise and significant as those linked to nationality. These findings indicate that participatory action research of this nature requires more targeted strategies and planning tailored to the type of activity. Such planning would result in more efficient and satisfactory communication, close collaboration, and mutual feedback to avoid conflicts and other problems. We further conclude that it would be advisable to carefully incorporate training on these aspects into future project designs.

A Commentary – Lake Tanganyika fisheries: Current constraints and the way forward

A Commentary – Lake Tanganyika fisheries: Current constraints and the way forward

An analysis of the delivery challenges influencing public-private partnership in housing projects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify and rank the challenges influencing the delivery of the housing public-private partnership (HPPP) in Tanzania; and second, to suggest solutions in the form of a conceptual public-private partnership (PPP) framework model that will address the identified challenges and boost the chances of success.Design/methodology/approachUsing a convergent parallel (concurrent) mixed method approach, data were collected from 28 stakeholders involved with HPPP projects in Tanzania using a hand-delivered and e-mail survey and 13 semi-structured interviews with public and private sector respondents. The quantitative data included subjecting the 19 challenges as identified from the literature to parametric tests such as one-sample t-tests and descriptive statistics tests such as measures of central tendencies and frequency analysis through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0). Qualitative data employed content analysis. The research was further underpinned by a number of theoretical perspectives such as Gidden’s structuration theory, contingency theory, relational and equity theory.FindingsThe top five ranked challenges influencing the delivery of HPPP were “inadequate PPP skills and knowledge”; “poor contracting and tendering documents”; “inadequate project management”; “inadequate legal framework”; and “misinformation on financial capacity of private partners”. The least six ranked and most significant challenges based on the one-sample (single) t-tests were as follows: “Poor risk allocation”; “inexperienced private partner”; “unequal qualification and contributions of expertise”; “poor enabling environment to attract competent partners”; “inadequate mechanisms for recovery of private investors’ capital”; and “high costs in procuring PPP projects”. The qualitative study further confirmed the challenges and cited the reason for the failure of joint venture projects as the lack of motivation for undertaking similar PPP projects. Despite the increased awareness of PPP projects and associated marginal benefits, the main impediment to the uptake and delivery of PPP housing projects remained the lack of skills and expertise.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed framework model is not yet tested, but since this paper is part of the ongoing research, the next stage involves the testing and validation of the model. Future studies could test the applicability of the proposed framework in other HPPP projects in Tanzania, and in other similar developing countries. Second, the validated framework can contribute towards addressing similar challenges as well as providing guidance. The proposed framework model is not yet tested, but since this paper is part of the ongoing research, the next stage involves the testing and validation of the model. Furthermore, recommendation for future research is to test the alignment of the identified challenges to the proposed remedial solutions across the five phases within the proposed PPP framework with a number of case studies.Practical implicationsThe identified challenges were used to form the basis of the framework presented in this paper. Furthermore, these provide useful information, thus leading to increased awareness to enable successful delivery of HPPP in Tanzania. Similarly, both the government and policy makers could use the findings as the basis for re-examining the existing PPP policy and regulations, and reflecting on the existing situation with a view to improving the delivery of future HPPP projects.Originality/valueThe empirical study is among the first that identifies and ranks the challenges of PPP for housing projects delivery within the Tanzanian context. The identification of the challenges enabled their ranking, resulting in the mapping out of the most critical challenges. Furthermore, using the Gidden’s structuration theory, the study illustrates how institution mechanisms (structures) address these delivery challenges, thus influencing the implementation of HPPP in Tanzania, and how individual stakeholders (human agents or agency) are able to make choices (advocated solutions) in dealing with the challenges. More so, these constraints (challenges) as identified and viewed through the contingency and equity theoretical lenses form the foundation for developing the PPP conceptual framework. The proposed framework would thus serve as a mechanism for providing practical solutions as well as reducing the level of severity of the identified challenges.