Defending Farmers-Mviwata

Mviwata's aim is "...to strengthen farmers’ groups and networks, facilitate communication and learning through exchanges among farmers for the purpose of defending the interests of small scale farmers in Tanzania..." A member speaking to the large scale land acquisitions in Tanzania, stated in Farm Land Grab that:

(Photo: REDD.net)

In my view, the solution to this problem is not money; rather, the government should obligate large-scale investors to give a part of their shares to us in exchange for our land,” -Ahmed Simba, a Kigoma-based farmer

He said the investors should give villagers time to relocate to new places close to such investments. He added that the land lease agreement should cover a few years but be subject to renewal under certain conditions.“We can benefit from large-scale investment in agriculture if we stop leaders from imposing their ideas on farmers, believing that what is in their interests (leaders) is in the interest of the nation,”