Urbanization Dynamics and Its Impact on Natural Resources

NEWSLETTER ARTICLE URBANISATION DYNAMICS AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN MOSHI – KILIMANJARO, TANZANIA By Isaac Kazungu1 and Maulid Bwabo2 Half the world’s population now live in built-up areas, with an estimated 60 million people being added every year (World Bank population Index report, 2010). This rapid urban growth leads to environmental degradation and excessive demands on services, infrastructure and use of natural resource in rapidly urbanising cities of the world, Moshi inclusive. Resource degradation, energy consumption, conflicts on he use of resources has increased drastically. To address this a three (3) years project titled LUNA (Livelihoods, Urbanisation, Natural Resources in Africa) financed by Volkswagen Foundation of Germany established within Five African Countries, namely Tanzania (Moshi), Cameroon (Bamenda), Botswana (Palapye), Cote d’Ivoire (Tyasale) and South Africa (Phalaborwa-Limpopo, and QueenstownEastern Cape). It sta rted in 2009 and aimed at analysing the impact of urbanisation on the use of natural resources and livelihoods in Africa. 1Isaac Kazungu is Assistant Lecturer and Researchers working with the Department of Marketing at Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies (MUCCoBS). His main areas of interest include Agricultural Marketing, Marketing research, International marketing, Livelihoods and Urbanization. He is a member of LUNA a team of researchers from Five African countries and Germany undertaking a project on Urbanization and its impact on the use of Natural Resources in Africa. 2 Maulid Bwabo is Assistant Lecturer and Researchers in theDepartment of Marketing at Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies (MUCCoBS). Among the other disciplines, he specialises in Food crops marketing, Strategic marketing review and Marketing audit. He is also a member of LUNA a team of researchers from Five African countries and Germany undertaking a project on U rbanization and its impact on the use of Natural Resources in Africa In Tanzania the project was undertaken in Moshi Municipality along the slope of Mountain Kilimanjaro-the highest Mountain in Africa. It explored nine (9) settlements in both rban and peri-urban areas of the city. These settlements include Mweka, Uru, Kibosho, Karanga, Kwa sadala, Pasua Matindigani, Pasua Kanisani, Kiusa, Uchira Mashingia. Livelihoods and settlements characteristics, resource availability and utilisation, settlement growth dynamics and challenges, economic activities and geographical locations are some remarkable areas explored. The result of the project built on what researchers explore about the problem, their insights and values using both evidence based and reflections. The results spin on poor enforcement of urban development policies, rban agricultural product additions and branding, promotion of traditional crops which enhance livelihoods of the poor resource and disadvantaged groups, harassm ent of the city authority, conflicts on the use of water infrastructure, insecurity to land tenure, difficulties in capitalisation of financial institutions mortgages and marketing informations. Others include inadequate horizontal and vertical linkages of local communities, associations and interested parties, compensation considerations, changing of the people’s mindset of farmers in production process and partnerships, fragmentation ofAfrican land use planning system, member based transformation efforts from informality to formality, poor governance. Likely, the question of ill staff in planning department and structural conflicts are some remarkable policy and practical development, which are potential for policy formulation and improvement for our country development. Key issues noted during this investigation calls for policy interventions and alternative on the reality. In additional, networking, capacity building on which young scientists (2 Master students from MUCCo BS) were trained through this project.NEWSLETTER ARTICLE of urbanisation and the use of natural resources within a planned and sustainable way to enhance residents in growth and their development processes. Notwithstanding, the project creates a good link of development cooperation between the North and South, which is among the country’s policy development agenda. LUNA team-Tanzania, left to right; Bwabo, Dr. Wakuru Magigi and Isaac Kazungu (Photo by Takemore Chogomoka) Issues noted during the project exploration are central to different actors interested in Urban development and poverty reduction in rapidly rbanising cities. These actors include government, development partners, local communities/co-operators, non-governmental organisations, higher learning institutions, local government authorities and policy makers. The finding may be addressed for enhancing the link Acknowledgements: Dr. Wakuru Magigi-LUNA country coordinator, Urban planner and Senior Lecturer MUCCoBS, V olkswagen Stiftung Foundation, the management of MZUMBE University and MUCCoBS. Contacts:[email  protected] com, [email  protected] com Web: http://www. luna-project. uni-freiburg. de/ http://www. muccobs. ac. tz