A political ecology of land use change and natural resource conflict in the Rukwa Valley, southwestern Tanzania

Building on geographic political ecology's natural affinity to address resource related conflict, this thesis examines the land use change and resulting natural resource conflict in the Rukwa Valley, southwestern Tanzania. Agropastoral migration from northern Tanzania is analyzed in a rural receiving area in the southern region of Rukwa. The differing livelihood strategies employed by local residents (Wenyeji) and WaSukuma agropastoral in-migrants and the effect of these strategies on inter-group relations set the stage for conflict centering on the impacts of large herds of cattle in this rural area. Geographic political ecology suggests a complex genesis of this conflict incorporating scarcity narratives, institutional failure, and ethical and moral dimensions surrounding cultural land use decisions and systems.