Food Security and Gender in Tanzania: A Case Study of Kisiwani Village in Same District

Kisiwani village is situated within Same. The village borders the famous Nkomazi Game Reserve and this has been a very contentious experience between the villagers and the game keepers. The village’s estimated total land area is 4138 Ha. 59% of the area is used for grazing and this is why the villagers are always in confrontation with the game reserve authorities. The villagers have accused the authorities of land grabbing while the authorities are accusing the villagers of trespassing and intrusion into the game reserve. 1147 Ha are under cultivation while 6% of the total area is used for residential purposes

The village Government has a total of 15 leaders. 47% are women. 13 of them are elected and two are appointed. There are five committee leaders, 2 male and 3 female. Women representation in the village’s government is comparatively balanced. The village’s opportunities include fertile land, livestock, water, brick making, electricity, schools and roads. The obstacles facing these essential resources in the village are as follows: Inadequate land area for cultivation and grazing; bad water supply infrastructure and shortage of water during dry season; The brick making industry is threatening the surrounding forests and the game reserve nearby; Electricity gridline is passing above the village but very few people have enjoyed the luxury of that energy; Shortage of teachers, desks and teaching materials; most roads are in bad shape.

Age of interviewees

65% of women interviewees were between age 30 and 49. This is slightly higher than the male interviewees aged between 30 and 49 years. In this case, 57% of male interviewees fell under that age category. 13% of all interviewees were aged between 50 and 59 years. 15% were between 20 and 29 years. Only 9% of all interviewees were aged over 60 years.

Marital Status of Interviewees:

87% of male interviewees and 65% of female interviewees were married. This constituted 76% of all interviewees. 9% of all interviewees were involved in polygamous marriages. 4% of female interviewees were widows and 9% were divorced

 Household Population:

63% of all interviewees had between 4 to 7 members of the family in a household. 39% of female interviewees and 35% of male interviewees had between 4 and 5 members of the family in a household unit.  26% of male interviewees and 26% of female interviewees respectively had between 6 to 7 members. 22% of female interviewees had less than three members as compared to 13% of male interviewees. 13% of male interviewees had more than ten members of the family living under one roof compared to 1% female interviewees who said so. 9% of male and 9% of female interviewees had between 8 and  9 members of the family in a household.

Main Activities Performed by Interviewees:

54% and 91% of all interviewees were livestock keepers and farmers respectively. 1% worked as employees, 1% in hand crafts, 2% as casual workers and 7% as small business operators. While women and women were equally comparable in farming activities (91%), more women seemed to be working as livestock herders (61%) than their male counterparts (48%). Where men and women invested equal energy resources as casual workers (4%), more women were active in small business operations (9%)

Access to resources

On their part, male interviewees said they had full access to farmlands (100%); a housing plot (100%); environmental awareness education (100%); agricultural officers and livestock officers (100%). Informal credit schemes and fuel wood were the only resources that men interviewees said they had little access to. Only over a third of male interviewees said so. 48% of the female interviewees had access to these resources. There was little access to agricultural officers (33%), livestock officers (33%); extension officers (33%); low cost eco-friendly technology (33%); formal lending facilities (33%); and charcoal (33%). As for housing plot and farmland, none of the female interviewee said they had any access to

Ownership of Resources

 85% of all interviewees said men owned most resources than women (57%). Only 37% of female interviewees said women owned these resources as compared to 77% of male interviewees who said men had overall ownership of the resources. Women could not own farmlands, housing plots, benefits of formal lending facilities, or even livestock. Other resources such as home gardens, charcoal, livestock, and low cost eco-friendly technologies could only be afforded by a third of women in the village.

Access to Essential Commodities

Only a third of female interviewees said women had access to inorganic fertilizers. They also had weak access to seeds (33%); charcoal (33%); cattle dips (33%); building poles (33%); animal fodder 33%); and plant pesticides (33%). None of the female interviewees said women had access to commercial wood. Fuel wood, roofing grass, and ugali were the main commodities in full access. 100% of female interviewees said so. Two thirds of female interviewees had fair access to organic fertilizers, fish, milk, and modern stoves

Access to Sources of Energy

Collected fuel wood was the most common source of energy in the village. 96% of all interviewees depended heavily on this source of energy. The second most common source of energy was the kerosene with 70% of all interviewees having been using it. Third was charcoal (17%), and commercial fuel wood (13%). None in the village had any access to electricity. All women interviewees (100%) were using collected fuel wood. 74% of them had access to kerosene; 22% had access to charcoal, and 9% having access to commercial fuel wood.

Ownership of Farming Tools:

An average 92% of all interviewees had basic farming tools such as hand hoes, machetes, and axes. Men appeared to have full access to these tools than women (Table 3.5). But women also had less access to mechanized tools than men did. Only 9% of women interviewees had access to ploughs as compared to 17% of men who did have such access. 96% of women interviewees had hand hoes; 87% had machetes; 83% had axes, and 4% were borrowing these tools.

Mode of Carrying and Transportation:

78% of all interviewees in Kisiwani travel on foot. They are used to walking and carrying their items on top of their heads. 41% have access to bicycles and 17% depend on motor transportation (bus and trucks) for traveling very long distances. 13% use mainly cattle ridden carts and only 2% have access to trolleys. 74% of women interviewees travel on foot and carry items with their heads. 48% have access to bicycles; 22% depend on unreliable rural bus transportation or trucks. Only 9% of women have access to wheel carts.

Access to Formal Education:

67% of all interviewees in Kisiwani Village completed basic education. 9% reached secondary education and 13% reached junior primary education (STD 4). 4% went to training institutes or schools and 2% had no formal education at all.

More male interviewees (17%) reached STD 4 than women (9%). But 70% of women interviewees completed basic education (STD 7) compared to 65% of male interviewees who mentioned so. Where 17% of women interviewees reached secondary education, none in the male interviewee community had reached that level. 4% of female interviewees and 4% of male interviewees went to training or adult education institutes. Where 4% of male interviewees had no formal education, 9% of them had been involved in other miscellaneous entrepreneurial education.

Access to Clean Water Services

67% of interviewed residents had access to running water whose sources were located near the households (54%). Only 7% of total interviewees said that they had water supply running within their households. But 43% of the total interviewees also said that that water was still far away form their households. Women were saying water still far away from the households (52%) while 65% of male interviewees said water now available near the homes. 61% of male interviewees had access to running water compared to 74% of women who said so. 9% of women had water within the household while 4% of men mentioned so.

Access to Health Services:

98% of all interviewees frequented dispensaries for health services. 41% used herbal medicines. 9% said medical expenses were extremely costly with 7% saying health services were very poor.

 Access to Extension Services

Veterinary services such as inoculation, cattle dipping and bathing were the most accessible forms of extension services in the village with 63% of all interviewees saying so. Health services were second with 57% of all interviewees mentioning that. Third was agricultural services with 46% of all interviewees. Others were forestry services (28%) and the least mentioned was social development services (24%).

Access to Lending Facilities:

The village has not been exposed to any lending services from banks, credit unions, cooperatives, or NGOs. In fact 43% of all interviewees said they depended upon friends for credit services. 28% of all interviewees also depended upon their relatives for loans. Only 2% of the interviewee community could reach NGOs for credit services; 7% of them relied not on cash, but rather on commodities and goods. Upatu was practiced by not more 4% of all interviewees.

Access to Personal Means of Production

72% of all interviewees depended primarily on their food crops for survival. 41% mentioned chicken rearing. Fruits were the other alternative way of sustainability (35%). Other were milking the cow (28%); commercial crops (20%); flowers (7%); and hair making (4%). Women interviewees named food crops (70%); chicken rearing (39%); fruits (30%); milk (26%); and hair making as the basic means of survival.

Gender Variances in Access to Essential Goods and Services:

100% of female interviewees said that men had the overall authority in the household and that all decision making process lay in men’s control. 33% said mothers do not have any right of objection in the household. 33% of female interviewees said that a woman has been designed to serve within the household

Main Difficulties Facing Villagers:

Findings from the village’s household survey indicate that 96% of the interviewees saw crop pests as the major obstacle towards food security. 87% of the village population mentioned wild animals such as baboons, lions, and elephants as another major difficulty in protection of crops and livestock. 87% of all interviewees mentioned low income as one of the major difficulties in their lives. Others were farmlands (65%); grazing areas (61%); access to markets (61%); unstable prices (61%); lack of farming tools (57%); health (50%); water (46%); environmental degradation (43%); and administration (39%)

Main Agricultural Problems in the Village

Drought was the main problem for 75% of the total interviewees. While 50% of male interviewees said so, all women interviewees acknowledged that drought was the principal problem in the village. Land was the second most contentious issue for farmers and livestock grazers in the village. 71% of all interviewees mentioned it. Lack of irrigation channels (25% of male interviewee), inadequate knowledge on modern sustainable agricultural practices (33% of female interviewees; livestock disease (13% of male interviewees) and lack of viable seeds (13%) were other main problems.

Agricultural problems that are currently being addressed

Female interviewees mentioned Rehabilitation and construction of new irrigation infrastructure in the village (100%); Rehabilitation of drinking dams and dips (33%); Better health services are being improved (33%); and that Plant pesticides are being distributed (33%).

Strategies used in addressing the agricultural problems:

The male interviewees mentioned the following strategies. Collective villagers’ work (nguvu kazi) on rehabilitation of livestock and farming facilities (25%); others were Collective rehabilitation and improvement of irrigation physical systems (13%); Proper storage of grain (13%); Distribution of plant pesticides (13%); Decreasing the number of livestock population to ease the pressure on limited grazing lands. (13%)

Main weaknesses in the used strategies:

Female interviewees mentioned poor implementation of local food security policies (33%). Others were lack of permanent irrigation tanks (33%); lack of viable crop seeds (33%); Poor farming tools (33%); Persistent drought (33%); and lack of modern cattle dips and baths (33%).

Daily Women’s Routines

These were waking up early in the morning; milking the cows; giving children bath and prepare breakfast for them and father; depart with father and join him in the fields; return home in the afternoon; cook lunch; collect water; attend the children; prepare dinner; and go to bed early

Historical Timeline

This includes drought and diseases in the seventies and in the eighties; Kagera war; deterioration of veterinary services and facilities; and food aid. In the 1990s, El nino exacerbated the spate of drought and related problems.

Seasonal calendar of the village

Farm preparation in the beginning of the year before monsoon rains. Planting of maize and rice; vegetables and pulses; tilling and protection of farms between march and may. Corn harvest in July. Pests attack during planting period and this is a time when other livetstock diseases set in.

Possible Measures Needed to Improve Food Situation in the Village:

Male interviewees mentioned rehabilitation, maintenance, and construction of irrigation canals and tanks as the major step that should be taken (75%); Others wanted pesticides and vaccines (38%);  maintenance of cattle dams and dips (25%);  viable and drought resistant crop seeds (13%); training of local farmers and pastoralists; and review of land regulations (13%). Female interviewees wanted irrigation canals and tanks (33%); some wanted to fully adopt the drought resistant farming methods (33%); another 33% said they wanted more land to be given back to them from the park authorities. Villagers should not sell their crops; instead they should preserve it. This was mentioned by 33% of the female interviewees.

[This PRA study on Gender and Food Security Profile for Kisiwani Village was designed and executed with full cooperation between, VECO, GAD Consult, local district researchers and volunteers, and members of the village community. This study is intended to act as a facilitator for enabling various stakeholders in increasing awareness and knowledge on the dynamics of food security and feminization of agriculture. This profile therefore presents immediate findings on the context in Kisiwani Village as regards food security, demography, gender and poverty related issues in development]

  

- Extracted from a Report titled "Food Security and Gender in Tanzania: A case Study of Kisiwani Village in Same District." GAD Consult and VECO, April 2004. By Mr. Edward H. Mhina. Chief Consultant, GAD Consult - Gender and Development Consultants. P.O. Box 4361, Dar es Salaam. Physical Address: 82, Ally Khan Road, Upanga East. Mobile 0754-340 488. Email: gadconsult@msn.com