| POLICY ENVIRONMENT FOR CUSTOMARY LAND OWNERSHIP AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN MBOZI DISTRICT, TANZANIA |
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Flora Hasunga[1], Fauzia Mohamed[2], Christopher Awinia[3] ABSTRACT The present study was conducted in Mbozi District, Songwe region of Tanzania to investigate the policy environment that promotes customary land ownership among rural women. The study employed a cross-sectional research design with non-probability sampling technique which involved a purposive selection of 8 villages out of 142 villages based on beneficiaries of certificates of customary right of occupancy. A snowball sampling technique was used to obtain 145 women beneficiaries of the customary land titles and convenience-sampling technique was used to obtain 145 women without customary land titles, which gave 290 of women respondents for the study. Primary data collection involved a survey questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews while secondary data collection involved reviews of land policy documents and legal frameworks. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (version 20) to summarize the responses into frequencies and percentages. The results of the study exposed remarkable awareness of the Tanzanian land policy and customary land ownership in the country. About 75% of respondents were knowledgeable of the procedures of obtaining certificates of rights of occupancy. Among the benefits of land ownership was the option of using land titles for loans as collateral. The challenges regarding customary land titles as reported by 89 % of women were re related to limited access to the existing opportunities due to lack of information. This study is relevant for land governance not only in Tanzania but also in SSA at large because it evokes the voices of the minority gender on matters relating to land ownership, as well as gender discourse in the region. Keywords: Policy; customary land ownership; women; Tanzania, customary land titles [1] Flora Hasunga Department of Gender Studies, Faculty of Leadership and Management Sciences. The Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Correspondence: Flora Hasunga, Department of Gender Studies, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it [2] Fauzia Mohamed, Department of Sociology and Social Work. The Open University of Tanzania. [3] Christopher Awinia, Centre for Economics and Community Economic Development. The Open University of Tanzania Cite this article: |
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