You are on page 1of 9

Mr. Kimamba Lyoba Mr. Firmat Banzi Mr. Paschal Luanda Mrs. Sauda Mjape Mrs.

Asteria Ringia Mrs. Mary Simbeye Mr. Liberatus Lyimo Mr. Eliezer Chuma Mrs. Rose Mbezi Mr. Nathaniel Msengi Mr Abdallah Dendego Eng. Hellen Mkoba Eng. Moses Makoli Eng. Omary Mdeke Eng. Maisara Ahamed

1. Re. Preparations of Different Guidelines on issues related to Land use Planning and Management. You all can recall that since our department was formulated in 2006 we have been working on different issues related to the subject above without having proper guidelines except for few issues like the preparations of management plans and land demarcation where we use the National Land Using Planning Commission guidelines and Land Act No 4 and Village Land Act No 5 of 1999 respectively. From the proposed retreat/technical meeting by our Director to be held in Mwanza soon I wish to share with you though in a summary form, some procedures (with an example) of how guidelines coupled with technical kits on land management issues can be developed . Thereafter I will send to you some issues/chapters where you will develop those guidelines and their relative technical kits relevant to our country/situation. After you have done that process you will send them back to me/office for perusal before the meeting is held so that we can discuss them together and eventually have those guidelines in place for the use of our department, extension officers, farmers and other clients. While preparing those guidelines references can be made from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), FAO, different search engines, books, Universities and other available materials and books. You can also share among yourselves for better exchange of knowledge and experiences. 2. GETTING STARTED When you decide to prepare a guideline on an issue related to land use planning and management you may consider but not limited to the following: 1.historical background of the envisaged issue 2. Why a guideline (objectives) 3. Rationale 4. Prevailing Policies and strategies 5. Concepts and principles (of course including a definition).

In this regard, and given the fact that most land use management problems are related to water shade (refer water shade definition) I will consider it as the main example which will guide you in guidelines development. However, as you are all aware, in land use planning and management, participatory planning is of paramount importance. Nevertheless, in your case you will prepare these guidelines without involving other key stakeholders because of the resource scarcity and time constrain but as I sited out before, we together, will have time in Mwanza to discuss them and later on, a room will be available to test these guidelines at field level which will provide an opportunity for review. From the broad definition of water shade, I will only summarize that a water shade is a composition of the following major items.

A. Physical soil and water. In this item, for water shade management the main issue is developing a guideline on physical soil and water conservation. The technical information kits I suggest (modifications, additions and reduction are important) in this physical soil and water conservation are i) Level Soil Bunds ii) Stone Bunds iii) Stone Faced Soil bunds iv) Level Fanya Juu v) Bench Terracing vi) Conservation Tillage using any available material, Broad Bed and Farrows Maker vii) Hillside Terraces viii) Hillside Terraces with Trenches B. Flood control and improved drainage The technical information kits i suggest (modifications, additions and reduction are important) are i) Waterways (vegetative and stone paved) ii) Cut-off Drains iii) Graded Soil Bund iv) Graded Fanya Juu v) Improved Surface Drainage for Increasing Productivity of Vertisols and Soils with Vertic Properties

C. Soil Fertility Management and Biological soil Conservation The technical information kits I suggest (modifications, additions and reduction are important) are i) Composite Making ii) Fertilization and Manuring iii) Live Checkdams iv) Mulching and Crop Residues Management 3

v) vi) vii) viii) ix) x) xi) xii)

Grass Strips along the Contours Stabilization and Physical Structures and Farm boundaries Vegetative Fencing Ley Cropping Integration of Food/Feed Legumes into Cereal Cropping Systems Intercropping Crop Rotation Strip cropping

D. Agro-forestry, Forage Development and Forestry The technical information kits I suggest (modifications, additions and reduction are important) are; I) Area Closure II) Microbasins III) Eybrow Basins IV) Herring Bones V) Micro-trenches VI) Trenches VII) Improved Pits VIII) Multistorey Gardening IX) Seed collection E. Gully Control The technical information kits I suggest (modifications, additions and reduction are important) are; I) Stone Checkdams II) Brushwood checkdams III) Gully Reshaping, Filling and Revegation IV) Sediments Storage and overflow Earth Dams for Productive Gully Control V) Sediments Storage and overflow Soil Bunds

3. PLANNING PROCEDURES AND STEPS. Like in last Financial Year when I sent you terms of reference and procedures for identifying land potential for agricultural investment, this time again I am sending to you planning procedures and steps for developing watershed planning and management guidelines and procedures for developing technical information kits. Nevertheless, these planning procedures and steps are not universal binding but can be used as guiding principles for the process of putting in place proper guidelines and technical information kits which can be used for long time. The planning procedures and steps involve but are not limited to the following: i) Planning methodology.

Proper planning depends on the human element and not only physical or technical aspects. Therefore planning must start from the bottom (PARTICIPATORY PLANNING) and this may include y y y y y y y y y y y y y ii) Working in an interdisciplinary team Participatory targeting Gender sensitization Group meeting and brain storming Vulnerability/wealth ranking Problems identification and ranking Semi-structured interviews Transect walks Village and household mapping Soil, vegetation and topographic surveys Watershed and community area delineation Action planning participatory and result-based monitoring Steps These involves 5

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

Prioritization and selection of watershed y Make general considerations (e.g. organizational aspects) y Forming and organizing community/village level watershed team y community/village level pre-planning work y visit the community/village Getting started at the community/village level y Form and organize community level watershed planning teams: calling the general assembly y Agree on timing for planning work and main tasks Biophysical and social- economic survey y Get to know the watershed, people s interactions, opportunities and limitations y Get to know people s needs, strengths and aspirations y Detailed Biophysical and survey and mapping y Relationship between biophysical and social- economic survey results: Analysis of focus areas and priorities Identification and prioritization of interventions that bring change y Identification of interventions and prioritization elements y General technical and social aspects related to watershed planning y Key integration requirements and sequencing of activities y Intervention areas: Description of measures and specific technologies Getting the options and interventions discussed and approved by the general assembly y Discuss with the community y Discusss with the planning team from other communities Development map, inputs and action plan y Development map y Inputs y Action plan y Reporting Implementation strategies y Implementation strategy (preparation for implementation, institutional organization and terms of reference) y Resource identification and mobilization 6

y Organizational arrangement at watershed/community level y Training and experience sharing H. Participatory monitoring and evaluation y Participatory monitoring y Participatory evaluaton y Steps in participatory monitoring evaluaton 4. Below is an example of technical information kit for level Fanya Juu.
LEVEL FANYA JUU (FJ) (1) Period/phases for implementation Only during the dry season and period not interfering land preparation (3) Suitability, agro-ecology and adaptability based upon local knowledge Suitable mostly in moist areas and medium rainfall areas with deep and well drained soils. Can also be practiced in upper ranges of semi-arid conditions, particularly on gentle slopes and well draind soils. Fanya juus are commonly practiced in Tanzania in several areas following its introduction over 2 decades ago Local excperience very relevant to assess performance of past activities and suggest modifications. A major oportunity is the application of the fanya juu principle after standard soil bunds are constructed for not disturbing the upper ditch filled with fertile soil. (5) Technical preparadnes .Land use soil and topography assessed .Discuss/agree with farmers on design and layout *provide on the job training .Precise layout and follow-up/adaptations (7) Minimum surveying and tools requirements Layout: One water line level, two range poles graduated in cm and 10m of string (a team of three people layout approx 2-3 ha/day) Work: shovels, pick axes and wooden compactors (the proportion of shovels and pick axes depend on type of soil) (8) Min. technical standards. .Height min.60 cm after compaction .Base width: 1.1 -2m in stable soils (1 hortz: 2 vertical ) Top width: 30 cm (stable soil)-50 cm (unstable soil). (6) Potential to inc The main advantages of fanya juu derives from its capacity to become a bench terrace in a short number of years. However, fanya juus contribute to increased productivity only if well managed and intergrated with soild fertility improvement practices, particulary vegetative stablization and composting (4) Main land use Applied generally on cultivated lands with stopes above 3% and below 15% gradient. Fanya juus are best constructed in uniform terrains with deep soils that do not have traverse slopes (depressions). Can be applied on grazing lands with gentle slopes at wider intervals (up to 5%). Can be applied also within sloping homestead areas combined with cash crops. (2) Objectives/remarks The FJ reduces and stops the velocity of runoff and consequently reduces soil erosion and the steady decline of crop yields. .They are impermeable structures intended to retain rainfall, and the efficiency of fertilizer application if any. .Fanya juus bench quicker than soil bunds but are not as efficient in moisture conservation and more prone to breakages/overtopping.

(9) Layout and vertical intervals (VI) .Vertical intervals: flexible and quality oriented approach .Slope 3-8% VI = 1-1.5m .Slope 8-15% VI=1-2m .Layout along the contours using line level discuss spacing with farmers and in case of lateral slopes shift to soil bunds for higher water accumulation and apply reinforcements and keys. Note: Shift to soil bunds in areas with slight traverse slopes and apply stone keys and reinforcements

.Collection ditch: 60cm W x 50 cm D. Ties: placed every 3-6m interval along channel .Length of bund: up to 60m in most cases, max 80m FJ need to be staggered to allow animals to cross fields as required

(10) Work norm .Prepare layout along contours (level) or gradient (graded) using line level; .Scratching or removal of grasses from where embankment is constructed for better merging & stability; .Excavation of downstream ditch or channel, and ties along channel; .Embankment building, shaping and compaction (essential); WORK NORM: 200 PDs/Km (12) Modifications/adaptation to standard design a) Combination of Fanya juus and soil bunds and reinforcements within the same contour line (figure 2) to address the problem of slight traverse slopes/depression points. b) Combination of Fanya juus altemated with soil bunds along the slope. This method is to allow some excess runoff not captures by the fanya juu to get trapped by the upper trench of the soil bund c) Upgrading of soil bunds using the fanya juu principle after 1-2 years. (13) Planning and implementation arrangements Planning follows community groups and individual owners discussions/agreement on layout, spacing and management (14) Management requirements .Fanya juus need to be upgraded to become level terraces the upgrading should use soil accumulated in the ditch below the bund .Apply cut & carry for grass/legumes growing on bunds (not uprooted) .Repair breakages immediately after showers, especially the 1st year (15) Limitations requirements. Groups of 5-20 households work together to increase efficiency (layout, excavation, shaping, compaction, level check) (11) Integration opportunities/requirements. 1. Integration with bund stablisation: Fanya Juus need the embankment stabilized in the upper side to allow excess water to overtop without creating damage. Grass planted with other shrubs is most suitable. Plants like aloes and sisal combined with more productive shrubs (pegeon peas etc) 2. Agronomic practices: contour plowing and compost (start first year applying 2-3m strips above fanya juu-where soil is deeper and moissture is higher). 3. Grow cash crops along bunds (especially after 1-2 years of composting) in single or wider strips as required. Plant specific crops along bunds to use residual moisture inside ditches (sunflowers, gourd, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc). 4. Control grazing staggered position of fanya juu +same as soil bunds.

.Can create temporary water logging if not integrated (16) Institutional responsibility .Fully on individuals/groups +/- community (commitment to mgt.) .DAs and wda experts technical support and follow-up/mgt. with fertility management .If too narrow spaced can take unnecessary space out of production

5. THE TASK Dear all what I am asking you now is to prepare manuals and technical information kits on the three subjects below. After you have prepared them, please send them back to me/office for perusal before we meet in Mwanza for review and testing. This will at least be the beginning of our department to develop different guidelines and technical information kits for use by different stakeholders. Best regards
(a) Multi-purpose tree nurseries (including production of trees, grasses and other plants which can be used for environmental protection measures. This should include, Area closures/wood lots as well as setting wind breaks (b) Watershed restoration/protection of water sources (c) Physical conservation measures, e.g. hill side terracing including dry stone walling/ stone bunds and Gully control/treatment and Erosion prevention

You might also like