IKUNGI DISTRICT BASELINE REPORT 2013 - REVISED INTERGRATING POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT-GENDER OBJECTIVES IN DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR ACCELERATING ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Prof. A.V.Y. Mbelle 2013 Department of Economics; University of Dar es Salaam ii | P a g e Modern and traditional bee hives side by side Selling honey by the road side Indigenous chicken raring at Unyangwe Water tank at Matongo village, 2007 Tree seedlings at Nyumba ya Nyuki Appeal for inclusiveness ingraved in stone iii | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS iii List of Tables iv Abbreviations and Acronyms v Acknowledgement vi Executive summary Vii I BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1 II IKUNGI DISTRICT PRIORITY SECTORS FOR POVERTY ERADICATION 9 III IKUNGI DISTRICT PRIORITIES IN EACH PRIORITY SECTOR 11 IV IKUNGI DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND BUDGET 13 V IKUNGI DISTRICT HUMAN RESOURCES, TOOLS AND COORDINATION 14 MECHANISMS FOR MAINSTREAMING POVERTY REDUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES STRATEGIC PLAN AND BUDGETS IN THE SECTORS OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERY AND FORESTRY VI WOMEN AND YOUTH PARTICIPATION/INVOLVEMENT IN PLANNING 15 AND BUDGETING IN AGRICULTURE, FISHERY AND FOREST SECTORS IN IKUNGI DISTRICT VII KEY GEOGRAPHICAL SITES (VILLAGES OR AREA/LOCATION IN A 17 VILLAGE) IN THE DISTRICT FOR IMMEDIATE ACTIONS /INTERVENTIONS IN AGRICULTURE, FISHERY AND FORESTRY FOR ACHIEVING “BIG RESULTS NOW” VIII SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTEGRATING AND 18 IMPLEMENTING POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT NEXUS IN THE DISTRICT IX PROPOSED POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT BASELINES, TARGETS AND 19 iv | P a g e INDICATORS REFERENCES 19 ANNEXES 21 List of Tables Table Description Page 1.1 Population Composition of Ikungi District 4 1.2 Results: Ikungi District – Changes in Livelihood Conditions 7 v | P a g e ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BRN Big Results Now CCM Chama cha Mapinduzi CSC Capacity and Sustainability Centre CMT Council Management Team HBS Household Budget Survey MDG Millennium Development Goal MTEF Medium Term Expenditure Framework NAIVS National Agricultural Inputs Voucher System NGO Non-Governmental Organization NMB National Micro Bank O&OD Opportunities and Obstacles to Development PEI Poverty Environment Initiative PFM Participatory Forest Management PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal SACCOS Savings and Credit Cooperative Society SPSS Sanitary and Phytosanitary TASAF Tanzania Social Action Fund UNEP United Nations Environmental Management Programme URT United Republic of Tanzania VICOBA Village Community Bank vi | P a g e Acknowledgement Production of this report was made possible with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Dar es Salaam Local Office which funded the field work. The Department of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam ably serviced the work. Special thanks go to Ikungi District Commissioner, Hon. Manju Msamya and Ikungi District Development Director, Mr. Magayane for their utmost support and guidance during field work. District technocrats were exemplary in the areas of their expertise in providing the required information. We single out the Planning Officer, Mr. Tomas Mwailafu on their behalf. In same vein, the candidness and openness of respondents deserves special mention. The support provided by Economist Jerome Maganga Ndomba in handling field logistics and actual co-administration of interviews is greatly acknowledged. Last but by no means least; thanks go to a local radio station which reported our presence during field work in Ikungi. While those acknowledged helped shape this report, errors and omissions remain mine. Prof. A.V.Y. Mbelle vii | P a g e Executive summary Introduction and background The overarching objective of this report is to present baseline information that aims at establishing current status and future targets, milestones and indicators to measure and assess poverty-environment-gender nexus in Ikungi District, Tanzania; with a view to improving development planning in terms of ability to integrate poverty-environment-gender objectives for sustainable economic development. The expectation is that District capacities to mainstream and implement environmental sustainability, poverty reduction, gender and climate change linkages into district and sector development plans will be enhanced, starting with agriculture, forestry and fishery as well as develop financial mechanisms. Poverty –Environment Indicators are used in order to facilitate the development of tools for integration of environment into development plans and budget processes as well as assisting in monitoring the linkage between bio-capacity and human poverty. It is worth noting that when the environment is degraded by 1%, poverty increases by 0.26% (Capacity and Sustainability Centre and United Nations Environmental Programme, 2007). Ikungi as a District was established on 8th March 2013 through Government gazette No 87. The district was formerly part of Singida rural district. Inhabitants of Ikungi District view being a new District as an opportunity and not a pointer to harder times to come. According to 2012 Population and Housing Census statistics the population of Ikungi is estimated at 272,959 of whom 136,178 or 49.9 percent males and 136,781 or 50.1 percent females. In general, baseline data for the district are not readily available (being a new district). The process of compiling district data is in progress. People, Poverty and Environment Agriculture is the main economic activity (about 90 percent of the population). Commonly grown crops are sorghum, maize and sweet potatoes. Livestock keeping is practiced on a small scale. The level of mechanization in agriculture is low; with most farmers depending on the hand-hoe. selling of honey and chicken is an important source of income. There have been no estimates of the incidence of poverty for Ikungi district. The estimates that exist are for Singida rural from HBS 2000/01 before Ikungi was hived off. The incidence of poverty (Po) was 56 percent and depth of poverty (P1) at 17, one of the high scores in Tanzania. viii | P a g e Our estimates for 2013 indicate that at minimum, about 20 percent of Ikungi district population is basic needs poor and relatedly at the brink of food poverty. About T.Shs 786,689,129 (or USD 491,681) per month, in cash transfers, is needed in order to bring the poor of Ikungi District to the basic needs poverty line. Though Ikungi district is not faring well in income poverty, the same cannot be said of non- income measures. Access to education and health places the district at better scores. Generally, people have experienced improvement in their livelihoods over the last three years or so. Deforestation is the main environmental challenge. District priorities The priorities in the Districts were mentioned to be improvement of agricultural productivity bee keeping, commercial indigenous poultry keeping, forestry and access to water. Priorities within each priority area Agriculture The main priority areas are Irrigation schemes, improved poultry keeping especially through group formations, sunflower processing; paddy farming, onions farming, agro-forestry. Marketing was particularly mentioned in terms of both physical place and outlets for produce both within the region and beyond Beekeeping The main priority is improving beekeeping activities especially for groups that are currently engaged in beekeeping. Marketing was prioritized in terms of physical space and outlets beyond national borders. Forestry Tree planting, establishment and strengthening of conservation groups, frequent field patrols and enforcement of by-laws, as well as scaling up bee keeping. Water Construction of more schemes and restoration of Nkuhi dam. ix | P a g e District Development Plan and Budget Ikungi District has a Development Plan but not a Strategic Plan (to be drawn during 2014/15). The Development Plan includes poverty, environment and gender objectives. The district (LGA) budget includes resources and activities to achieve poverty reduction and environmental conservation objectives. The District (LGA) has M&E that includes indicators for poverty- environment- gender. The respective dates/durations for the key documents are: MTEF 2013/2014 and 2014/2015; Development Plan 2013/2014 and 2014/2015; and Budget (which includes monitoring and evaluation) 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. Coordination mechanism for integrating or mainstreaming poverty-environment objectives in agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors exist in the form of meetings and dissemination of expertise. The district is geared up for setting new targets, done through involving full participation of communities. As a bottom line current targets and indicators will be improved. Human Resources, tools and coordination mechanisms for mainstreaming poverty reduction and environmental conservation objectives Strategic Plan and budgets in the Sectors of agriculture, fishery and forestry The main challenge in mainstreaming poverty reduction and environmental objectives is inadequacy of staff. Gaps do exist between district plans and national/sectoral plans in terms of integrating or mainstreaming poverty-environment objectives. The challenges to bridging the gap are multi- dimensional. Youth and women participation/involvement on plan and budget in agriculture, fishery and forest sectors Women and youth are involved in a participatory way in all stages right from the conceptualization stages of evolving projects. Also the designated proportion of not less than one third women representation in community development groups assures their