Cluster III. Good governance: where the strategy aims at developing structures and systems of democratic governance that are participatory, representative, accountable and inclusive and
2.7 Rationale for choosing the specific areas of study
This study is based in selected rural areas of Tanzania and there is thus a need to define what rural areas are and differentiate them from urban areas. By definition, and in the Tanzanian political and administrative context, all regional and district headquarters are defined as urban areas. Other areas are categorised as urban, provided there is a concentration of houses and there are institutions such as police stations, post offices, health centres and streets (Ngalinda and Mutagahywa 2005).
All the four locations where this study is based (Ngara, Karagwe, Magu and Sengerema) are district headquarters. Although these areas do not fall directly under the Tanzanian political and administrative definition of rural areas, in terms of ICT infrastructure development all these areas are considered rural and they comply with the ITU (2000) definition of rural and remote areas. According to ITU (2000), a rural area is characterised by absence of public facilities such as reliable electricity supply and regular transport, scarcity of technical personnel, a low level of economic activity, mainly based on agriculture, fishing or handicrafts, low per capita income and underdeveloped social infrastructures such as health and education. These characteristics are common in all the four selected study areas.
All these areas comply with the main challenges of bringing sustainable ICT solutions to remote areas poorly served with basic infrastructure such as transport, electricity and communication. The term „rural‟, as used in this study, is more associated with remote and disadvantaged regions rather than with the size of the town. According to Nielinger (2003), district headquarters reflect the status quo of Tanzanian upcountry ICT deployment that had started from the centre in Dar es Salaam. It subsequently included major regional towns and is now about to target the district level, which is the focal point of this research.
A report from COSTECH, a government research agency which is actively involved with telecentre projects in Tanzania, indicates that the plan that COSTECH has at the moment is to introduce more telecentres to cover all the districts in Tanzania and to make district headquarters the base for ICT development in rural areas of Tanzania (Mlaki 2005).
The choice of the four districts, of Ngara, Karagwe, Magu and Sengerema, as areas of study, is facilitated by the presence of telecentres and a number of other factors such as geographical location and economic activities taking place in these areas. The following sections present a description of each district where this study was conducted. Further descriptions are provided in section 4.6 with regard to services offered by the telecentre located in each districts.
2.7.1 Sengerema
Sengerema is one of the seven districts in Mwanza region. Other districts include Magu, Kwimba, Misungwi, Geita, Ukerewe and Mwanza (URT 1997b). Sengerema district covers a land area of 3,335 square kilometres and is divided into five division, 25 wards and 124 villages (URT 1997b). According to the 2002 Tanzania national census, the population of Sengerema district was 501,915 (URT 2002b).
In terms of climate, Sengerema district enjoys fairy reliable rainfall, with two rainy seasons, which makes farming feasible. Major economic activities in the district are farming (peasant/small-scale), livestock-keeping and fishing (URT 1997b). However, other economic activities such as mining and small-scale industries are also carried out. Major food crops grown in Sengerema are maize, cassava, paddy/rice and bananas, while major cash crops are cotton, bananas and horticultural crops. Sengerema district is endowed with wealth in terms of soil fertility, products from Lake Victoria, forests, livestock and human labour (URT 1997b).
National statistics locate this district among the important ones and indicate it as one of the great resource treasures in the nation (Twakikyondo 2002). However, as is the case with many rural areas of Tanzania, where the majority of the people depend on small-scale agricultural production, poverty levels in Sengerema are high and most of the resources in the district are under-utilised.
2.7.2 Ngara
Ngara is one of the five districts in Kagera region. Other districts include Biharamulo, Karagwe, Muleba and Bukoba. Ngara is in the extreme north-west of Tanzania. It borders on Rwanda in the North, Burundi in the south-west, Biharamulo in the east, Karagwe in the north-east and Kibondo in the south. Ngara district covers an area of3,744 square kilometres and it is divided into four divisions, 17 wards and 72 villages. It is further subdivided into 359 sub-villages. According to the 2002 census Ngara had 49,082 households, with a total population of 334,409 people, including refugees. Tanzanians numbered 233,409 and the rest were refugees (URT 2007).
The economy of Ngara depends mainly on small-scale farming. The majority of the households earn their living from small-scale subsistence farming. Agricultural production is basically for local consumption and the district domestic market. Coffee is the only well- established cash crop, followed by recently-introduced tobacco and cotton production. Coffee is not produced in large quantities in Ngara when compared with the neighbouring districts of Karagwe and Muleba, despite the fact that Ngara has favourable climatic conditions for the production of coffee and other crops (URT 2007).
The district has two rainy seasons, with annual rainfall of from 800 mm to 1,400 mm. The basic food crops in Ngara district are bananas, beans, maize, cassava and sweet potatoes (URT 2007).
2.7.3 Karagwe
Karagwe district is one of the five districts of Kagera region. Other districts include Ngara, Biharamulo, Muleba and Bukoba. Karagwe district covers an area of 7,716 square kilometres.
The district is located in the north-western corner of Tanzania. It borders Uganda in the north and Rwanda in the west (URT 2006c). Administratively, Karagwe district consists of four divisions. The divisions are divided into 28 Wards and 117 registered villages. Based on the 2002 population census, the total population of Karagwe district is estimated to be about 424,287 (URT 2002b). The average income of the people in Karagwe is only two-third of the national average, which shows the relative poverty of the district. Large income inequalities
within the district are evident, with an estimated 40% of the total population living in absolute poverty.
The district has a tropical climate and the rainfall distribution is bimodal, with peak rains falling between September to December and March to May. Land in the district is mainly used for farming, and to a lesser extent, for livestock-keeping (URT 2006c). The main economic activity in the district is agriculture. The economy is dominated by subsistence small-holders, who grow bananas and beans for local consumption and for the domestic market. Coffee (Robusta), bananas and beans are the main cash crops. Livestock-keeping is the second most important activity in the district. Industrialisation has hardly occurred due to the relative isolation of Karagwe and Kagera, limitations on cross-border trade (legal, security), poor transport and communication networks and little electrification (URT 2006c).
2.7.4 Magu
Magu is one of the seven districts in Mwanza region. It is located in the north-western part of Tanzania, bordering Lake Victoria (URT 1997b). Magu district covers a land area of 3070 square kilometres and is divided into six divisions, 27 wards and 116 villages (URT 1997b).
According to the 2002 Tanzania national census, the population of Magu district was 415,005 (URT 2002b). Magu district has a tropical, dry climate, which gets very hot towards the end of the dry season. The district has two well-defined seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. Rainfall tends to be scanty, patchy and generally unreliable. Low and unreliable rainfall causes frequent crop failures, especially in maize production (URT 1997b).
Magu district is one of the poorest districts in Tanzania and the district had been experiencing persistent, unfavourable weather conditions. Since the major sources of livelihood in the district are farming and animal husbandry (accounting for over 90 percent), livelihood insecurity increased due to bad weather (URT 1997b). Another production problem in the district is declining soil fertility, due to factors such as overgrazing, poor farming methods and population growth (Kamuzora 2003). These problems have collectively resulted in further marginalising the livelihoods of residents through declining food and cash crop production.
Poor management of co-operatives is another problem, which aggravated problems in
agricultural production, particularly in accessing appropriate agricultural inputs and marketing of agricultural produce (Kamuzora 2003; URT 1997b). Efforts to promote income generation activities and other diversified coping strategies were believed to have been undermined by inadequate access to credit, along with inadequate business entrepreneurial skills among the target population, particularly the women in the Magu district (Kamuzora 2003).