Bridging the Gap: Integrating Participatory and Area Based Planning for Local Development in Tanzania

Abstract

Planning at its initial stage is always targeted in nature. Geographical targeting of development interventions or plans is mainly adopted to ensure the effectiveness of the plans in delivering the anticipated deliverables to the targeted groups within a manageable context. The aim of the study is to explore how participatory and area-based planning can be integrated to promote sustainable local development in Tanzania. It is this view that gave rise to Area Based Developments (ABDs) with the aim of localising developments with reflections of the local contexts. Localisation is seen as the means to bring the public sector close to the people by transforming the sector to be more inclusive, equitable or adaptive and gaining self-redefinition of development at the grassroots levels.  Despite this essence, the practicability of inclusive ABDs remains questionable. Through a critical literature review, this paper cited SAGCOT as the case study to highlight how ABDs remain as the developed development blueprints that lack local communities’ appreciation and views. With the aid of the citizen participation ladder, this paper found that involvement of the local communities in the SACGOT program from planning through the implementation phase was consultative in nature which belongs to the lowest rungs of the ladder. The key finding was bolded through critical analysis of four themes namely: land consolidation and eviction, SAGCOT and smallholder farmers’ realities, exploitative contract farming, and underrepresentation in partnership. The aforementioned themes depict the effects and even possible causes of the abandonment of an initial blueprint of the program. Further, it was found that for ABDs to be pro-human and to achieve the anticipated planning goals requires an effective participation of the local communities for proper development contextualization, inclusive and equitable distribution of planning gains, as well as effectiveness and efficiency of the ABDs. Despite the fact that ABDs theoretically are participatory in nature, the effectiveness of the ABD models require a sound political ecology of planning that enhances political willingness, institutional autonomy, and redistribution of power. Therefore, this paper calls for the need to develop a clear planning and practical model for effective integration of Participatory planning and ABDs approaches that takes into account democratic governance in the planning profession. It is this paper's conclusion that this will only be realised through embracing strong democratic synergy of area-based developments and participatory planning approaches.