ABSTRACT
Land use change is more than a simple change of agricultural techniques. Maasai took over the area from pastoralist Parakuyu during the Iloikop wars in the 1840s to 1850s. In 1996/97, Tanzania was at the height of reforming a confuse land law situation. In 1979, under the terms of a Dutch-Tanzanian joint-venture, the first mechanised farm for multiplication of bean-seeds opened in Naberera. According to Tanzanian law, the village council, the village chairman and district authorities hold the power to regulate resource use. Most of the woodlands in Naberera are infested by Tsetse flies. These are vectors for cattle trypanosomiasis, so large areas can be used for grazing only in times of need when adequate fodder resources in non-infested areas are no longer available. Village councils could further set up ‘village by-laws’ on land use that might restrict pastoral or agricultural activities to certain areas.
