Implications of institutional interplay on land management: A case of traditional land tenure and formal laws in the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania

Despite land management efforts since colonial times in the Uluguru Mountains, land degradation persists. Formal land laws and traditional land tenure system were examined to show the implications of formal and informal institutional interplay on land management. Participatory rural appraisal and interviews were employed to collect data. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used for qualitative and quantitative data respectively. The study brings to light multi-faceted institutional interactions demonstrated by interplay between formal land laws and the traditional land tenure system, with each type of institutions influencing the other. Predominant form of land tenure regime in the Uluguru Mountains is individual land property. In pre-colonial, colonial and the immediate post-independence eras, clan-based land tenure regime and inter-institutional conflict dominated. Individual land property can enhance land management as it can enhance land security. However, it does not guarantee conservation of farmland water sources. Arguably, the implications of land tenure regimes on land management are not adequately explained by the property rights theory as the theory rejects rationalities other than that of maximizing individual utility, which is contrary to the study findings. There is a need for forming/strengthening institutions for regulating water sources in individually owned farmland.