Size isn't everything: narratives of scale and viability in a Tanzanian irrigation scheme

Abstract

This paper explores tensions over scale and viability in irrigated agricultural development in Tanzania. A revival of ambition to transform African agriculture has reawakened debate over what type of agriculture can best deliver increased production and poverty reduction for rural populations. This paper examines these debates through the lens of an ethnographic study of an irrigated rice farm in Tanzania. With a chequered history of state and donor intervention management, Dakawa, Rice Farm in Mvomero District is now collectively farmed by a co-operative society of 'small farmers'. It is widely hailed as a success, both of irrigation production, and of 'small farmers' in delivering this However, such narratives of smallness and success obscure a more complex reality in which smallness of scale may be more of a discursive tool than a reflection of empirical reality.. Although notions of 'viability' and 'success' in such development interventions are themselves also contested and depend on perspective, there is evidence that there are fundamental problems of both short and long term viability.

A pathway to inclusive sustainable intensification in agriculture? Assessing evidence on the application of agroecology in Tanzania

“…One erroneous interpretation of climate-smart agriculture is an assumption that all it requires is the adoption of irrigation in the face of water shortage 1 . Irrigation has a part to play, especially the more efficient use of water, but other changes in cultivation practices and choices of 1 Personal observation at The Mastercard Summit Youth Africa Works-Marriott Hotel, Kigali 16 th -17 th February 2017 crops are more fundamental (Manjengwa, Hanlon and Smart 2014, Wiggins 2016, FAO 2016, Harrison and Mdee 2017b.…”

Neither sustainable nor inclusive: a political economy of agricultural policy and livelihoods in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia

“…The resources and capabilities present at the meso-level have a critical role in enabling policy and strategy to be implemented and where resource and capability gaps are present, then the gap between stated policy and practice can be wide (Andrews, Pritchett, and Woolcock 2013;Mdee and Harrison 2019). At the micro level, farmers operate in a space in which they implement livelihood strategies in a context shaped by formal institutions, but also through more socially embedded customary arrangements (Harrison and Mdee 2017b).…”

“…Evidence in all three countries suggests that access to reliable and fair markets remains a challenge for small farmers, even when they successfully increase their production (Chirwa and Chinsinga 2012;Matenga and Hichaambwa 2017;Harrison and Mdee 2017b).…”

“…This will require closing the gap between policies that exist in theory (only on paper) and those that can be actually implemented in the context of available resources. For example, Tanzania has a complex legislative framework for the management of water resources but is chronically lacking in capacity to implement them (Harrison and Mdee 2017b).…”

Water Users Associations in Tanzania: Local Governance for Whom?

“…The evaluation of water governance processes within this agricultural area of high importance provides insights on the implementation and outcomes of the IWRM framework. Water allocation has been discussed in Tanzania before (see [39][40][41]), where policy and implementation were shown to be incoherent, due to a lack of implementation capacity and a heavy reliance on donors and NGOs to co-produce public goods [41]. The concept of 'isomorphic mimicry' is useful in describing the current situation whereby Tanzanian legislation, policies and institutions mimic both the shape and the appearance of best practice, but in fact do not play out as designed (for the development and application of this concept, see [42][43][44]).…”