Irmeli Mustalahti launching the new Makutano ("gathering") project on collaborative forest management in the context of the translocal forest ownership and the ongoing "timber rush" in Tanzania. #aka_develop

TIMBER RUSH PROJECT: SOURCING OF HIGH QUALITY PLANTING MATERIALS

GENDER EQUALITY IN NON-INDUSTRIAL PRIVATE FORESTRY

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) through College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) collaboratively with Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and University of Copenhagen from Denmark are implementing a research project titled Timber Rush: Private Forestry in Village Land since February 2016. On 6^th December 2018, the project organized its second Annual Conference, which was held in Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) Conference Hall located in Iringa Region.

Discussion session during the Annual Conference held in Iringa at VETA Conference Hall (December 6, 2018)

The aim of this conference was to share research results from the project in order to get comments and constructive criticisms from stakeholders. The stakeholders that participated to this conference comprised of the following:(i) technical staff on land and forestry disciplines from Southern Highland districts of Njombe, Mafinga, Wanging’ombe, Kilolo and Mufindi, and Njombe Town; (ii) a representative from Forest Development Trust (FDT) which is a non-governmental Organization; and (iii) researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture specialized on forestry, social sciences, and agricultural extension and community development disciplines. Participants from the project team entailed researchers from Sokoine University of Agriculture and those from Danish Institute for International Studies

A PhD candidate (Mr. Respikius Martin) making a clarification on his presentation (Governance structure and distribution of income among actors of timber value chain in Southern Highlands of Tanzania) during the Annual Conference held in December 6, 2018 at VETA Conference Hall, Iringa

During this conference a total of six draft papers were presented as listed below:

1. Profitability analysis of tree growing in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania
2. Domestic investors in tree planting: Typology, motives and relationships with local communities in Southern Highlands of Tanzania
3. Governance structure and distribution of income among actors of timber value chain in Southern Highlands of Tanzania
4. Does non industrial private forestry affect household food security? Empirical evidence from Southern Highlands of Tanzania
5. Origin, nature and resolution of land conflicts: experience of non industrial private forestry in village land in Southern Highlands, Tanzania
6. Scale and drivers of timber rush in Tanzania

Prof. Mahonge, C. P. jotting down some notes during the Question and Answer Session after his presentation (Origin, nature and resolution of land conflicts: Experience of Non-industrial private forestry in village land in Southern Highlands, Tanzania) at the Annual Conference in Iringa (December 6, 2018)

The conference was also served as a platform for providing feedback to the government staff from project area, validating the results, and correcting errors so as consequently to enhance the relevance of the results. It was also an avenue for sharing critical but constructive comments from invited members of Academia, Non-governmental Organization, and Local Government Authorities to improve the manuscripts/draft papers ready for publication in esteemed journals.

Mr. Libenanga, P. (Forest Officer in Njombe District Council) among the Project stakeholders making some contributions to one of the presentations during the Annual Conference, which was held in Iringa Region (December 6, 2018)

Members of the Advisory Board of Timber Rush Project in a group photo with members of the project at the College of Social Science and Humanities on 4^th December, 2018. The photo was taken by Daniel Masunzu

Seminar Presentation   Organised by Bureau of Development Research and Consultancy of College of Social Sciences and Humanities , Sokoine University of Agriculture

 Title: Thresholds for success or failure: Experience with donor facilitated rural organizations in Africa and Asia

Presenter: Dr. Esbern Friis-Hansen from  Danish Institute for International Studies,  DENMARK

Moderator: Prof. Amon Z. Mattee from Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development,   SUA

Date: Tuesday 4th December 2018, Time: 1400hrs

Venue: Postgraduate Seminar Room

The Timber Rush Project is approaching three years of its implementation. After intensive period of literature reviews and field work; the project team members are developing manuscripts for consideration towards publishing and subsequently for purposes of disseminating the findings to the wider readership. Six project team members (Esbern, Susan, Rasmus, Dismas Jens and Boukje) participated in the 4th Annual Flare Network Meeting conducted from 17th to 20th October 2018 at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Three draft papers were presented at the plenary and one paper as a poster presentation

Dr. Esbern Friis-Hansen listening to one of the presentation during the FLARE Meeting held at the University of Copenhagen, 17-19 October, 2018