The agrarian constitution of Zanzibar and its impact on agricultural development.

Abstract

The title of this thesis is "the Agrarian Constitution oj Zanzibar and Its Impact on Agricultural Development''. Six elements were investigated in this dissertation: (i) the laws and law-like rules governing land ownership and land use, (ii) the succession to land and tree crops, (iii) the agricultural labor system, (iv) agricultural credit, (v) co-operatives, and (vi) the system of social security. Data were eolleeted in Zanzibar between 1990 and 1994. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous urea of the United Republic of Tanzania. East Africa. Various formal and informal instruments of socio-economic research were applied during the research. Literature searches, interviews with key informants, semi-structured discussions with groups of male and female farmers, structured interviews with 360 heads of households in six villages, as well as numerous case and in-depth studies were conducted. The agrarian constitution is defined as the order that has been molded by law and custom and that determines agriculture and the course of life in the agrarian society (LlPINSKY. 1990/91 b; Lipinsky. 1981).The agrarian constitution of Zanzibar is the product of a number of important influences. In the less fertile coral rag area villagers, in many instances, follow rules that derive from African customary law (“mila”). in the fertile plantation area, where Arabs settled since the beginning of the 19th century, Islamic-Arabic laws and customs (Sheria) have been introduced and have had a lasting impact that, until today, extend to the whole of Zanzibar. British influence started with the establishment of a protectorate over Zanzibar in 1897 and continued until independence in 1963. In 1964, during the Zanzibar Revolution, a one-party government, which pursued a firm socialist command economy, was established. One of the most important measures of the new government was a radical land reform that nationalized the land of Arab landlords and redistributed the land to African small-holders. The curtailing and change of various agrarian laws and rules as well as dirigistic measures led to a steady decline in agricultural production, from 1984 onwards, more liberal policies were introduced and laws, in particular land laws, were reviewed. Subsequently important improvements — although not to the desired degree — were legislated. Particularly noteworthy in this respect are the new Land Tenure Act and the Registered Land Act, which have enabled some land transfer-rights (registration, sale, charge, lease). Although the new laws stipulate that land ownership remains vested in the state, important prerequisites have been created that may lead to increased and more sustainable agricultural production. The introduction of a multi-party system in 1992 and a multi-party election in 1995 provides hope that further improvements in the agrarian constitution of Zanzibar will receive the necessary political support to improve the socio-economic frame conditions for agriculture and life in the rural areas.