PhD Progress Reports

Mr. Justin Lusasi

The PhD candidate Mr Justin Lusasi has successfully presented his PhD research proposal titled Processes of Land Acquisition For Afforestation and Associated Impacts On Rural Communities: The Case Of Southern Highlands, Tanzania. The proposal has been approved at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) level and forwarded to the Directorate for Research and Postgraduate Studies for final approval before being allowed to commence his fieldwork. Lusasi is one of the two PhD candidates sponsored under the Timber Rush: Private Forest in Village Land project (2016-2021) implemented collaboratively by Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and Copenhagen University (CoU) of Denmark.

Mr. Respikius Martin

This PhD candidate who is also the member of academic staff under the Department of Agricultural Education and Community Development here at SUA has successfully completed his study proposal (Effects of Timber Value Chain Governance on the incomes of chain actors in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania). Currently, the candidate is developing data collection instruments and expecting to embark on fieldwork during the end of September , 2017. On similar basis, however, Mr. Martin is under the sandwich program under thet Timber Rush scholarship which is undertaken between Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Both candidates (Lusasi and Martin) had an opportunity to participate to the two PhD courses at the University of Copenhagen (April-June 2017). Besides attending the courses, the two candidates had an opportunity to work on their PhD proposals which were presented respectively to the Department of Food and Resource Economics of the University of Copenhagen and at Danish Institute for International Studies. In both cases, the proposals fulfilled the minimum required standards.

Timber Rush Project Participation in Nane Nane Exhibitions in August 2017

The Timber Rush Project had an opportunity to show case its activities through the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) pavilion during 2017 Nane Nane agricultural shows held at the Mwalimu Nyerere Exhibition Grounds in Morogoro Region. The Nane Nane Shows are held annually across the country from early August and culminates on Eighth August or Nane Nane in Kiswahili, which marks the Farmers’ Day. The exhibitions, which are one-week long, comprises of a series of exhibitions that include products and services from various exhibitors largely drawn from among stakeholders in agriculture and allied fields including researchers, extension staff, and farmers.

This year’s exhibitions took place from 1^st to 10^th August 2017 and attracted the audience from within and outside the region, as well as outside the country. The displays by the Timber Rush consisted of the project banner and fliers that describe, among others, the implementing institutions, the overall aim, specific objectives and expected outcomes of the project. In addition, some project fliers were distributed to the audience.

Among others, the following are the achievements attained through our participation in the exhibitions:

• It was the first ever opportunity for the project to inform the public its research activities currently undertaken in Southern Highlands of Tanzania
• It served as a platform to exchange contacts with individuals and groups of people interested in the project for possible future collaboration.

ACTIVITIES AT NJOMBE

At Njombe region we were accompanied by Mr. Mwanyika, and we held interviews with the Chairperson of the investors involved with tree planting in village land . Then we visited the market where planks (Timber) are collected from various villages and then sold for transportation to their destinations outside Njombe region including Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, and Mwanza regions and beyond the national boundaries especially Kenya. At this collection centre, we held a brief interview with an entrepreneur lady (also a teacher) who was involved in a small scale timber business.

ACTIVITIES AT IRINGA

On 30^th March the team travelled to Njombe region via Iringa region. At Iringa we visited Forestry Development Trust (FDT) and introduced the timber rush project and held discussions with staff of FDT. These staff were Simon Milledge (Trust Director) and two training coordinators namely Shukrani Biseko and Hamisi Iddi Malinga, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager Mr. Tom Hilton.

Among others, the FDT team provided us with a brief overview of their organization and its functions. From Iringa region we travelled to Njombe region and along the way we stopped observed eucalyptus and pines demonstration plots that have been established by the Forestry Development Trust.