Farmer participation in the Equitable Payments for Watershed Services in Morogoro, Tanzania

Produced as part of the Adaptation to climate change and human development CCCEP research programme theme

Abstract of Working Paper 123

This article contributes to the limited empirical evidence on the determinants of landowners’ participation decision in land use-modifying (active agricultural land) Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programmes in developing countries.

It examines how resource manager characteristics, the features of a PES program, and the institutional context of its implementation determine resource managers’ decisions to participate in the Equitable Payments for Watershed Services (EPWS) program in Tanzania, in order to shed light on factors that determine participation in land use-modifying PES programs more widely.

The EPWS program has been implemented in the Kibungo Juu ward of Morogoro region in Tanzania by CAREWWF Tanzania to promote the adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices such as agro-forestry, reforestation and terracing to improve the quality and quantity of water for downstream users.

We used a multi-method approach to collect qualitative and quantitative data. We find that the adoption of SLM practices was determined by the farm size, information, participation of farmers in the program design and the change in the farm management.

These findings suggest that, the design of land use-modifying PES programs require considerable care to ensure participation of small landholders, availability and access to right information, participation of farmers in the design of programs, local compatibility of practices and support of initial costs of adoption.