Social capital and natural resource governance in Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

The adoption of natural resource management technologies occurs as a result of decisions made by a wide range of people. Social capital yields a flow of mutually beneficial collective action, contributing to the cohesiveness of people in their societies. Many natural resource management practices cannot be effective if adopted by a single farmer but require coordination across farms or even communities. This chapter provides some findings on how social capital can serve as a basis for enhancing sustainable natural resource management technologies, and thus improve productivity, equity and the environment in the Usambara Mountains in Lushoto District, Tanzania. Findings by the African Highlands Initiative (AHI) highlight multiple natural resource management activities that capitalize on social capital. AHI's present success is attributed to its strategies to strengthen and capitalize on existing social capital within the community. Kinship, community and other informal networks played a crucial role in enhancing wide spread of improved banana technology and market access. Farmer Research Groups formed a forum for social learning, working together towards some common goals and thus assisted in building a sense of shared values, identity and common purpose. As a result, forms of social capital such as increased trust, new norms of behaviour and commitment to reciprocity have been developed slowly within the community.

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