The Power of Land Tenure: Providing Security and Opportunity for Rural Women in Tanzania

For generations, rural women across Tanzania have faced entrenched gender norms that restrict their access to land, one of the most critical assets for livelihood, dignity, and economic independence. In Singida region, where agriculture is the backbone of household survival, these barriers have left many, particularly widows, vulnerable to dispossession, food insecurity, and long-term poverty.

Asia Athumani Gudo, a widow and mother of three from Ilunda Village, experienced this firsthand when she was denied the right to cultivate the land she had farmed for years.

“When my husband passed away, I was stopped from planting, harvesting or producing anything. Without land, I had no income and no way to sustain my children,” she recalled.

Losing access to the land had a devastating impact. Farming was her main source of income, and without it, she struggled to feed her children, earn an income, and meet essential needs such as school expenses. The emotional stress and financial uncertainty, she says, were overwhelming.

Boosting Skills, Awareness, and Secure Land Tenure

Gudo’s life began to transform in 2023 when the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress Towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP-RWEE), implemented jointly by FAO, IFAD, UN Women and WFP with local partners and supported by the Governments of Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, introduced a series of integrated interventions in Ikungi District. These included gender-responsive land governance support, training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Climate-Smart Agriculture, and community dialogues aimed at challenging harmful gender norms. Through this integrated approach, the programme has supported rural women and girls to strengthen their livelihoods, enhance resilience and advance their rights.

Through newly formed women’s groups, Gudo and others received training on women’s rights, land governance, and the value of secure land tenure.

“For the first time, I understood my rights. These awareness sessions changed mindsets in our families and our whole community,” she said.

With enhanced understanding, her family agreed to allocate and measure the land she had long depended on. Conflicts eased, and the support of trained Gender Champions helped mediate discussions and promote peaceful resolution within the household.

Through the JP‑RWEE project, community dialogues on women's rights, including land rights, were also carried out. The sessions, led by trained gender champions, village committees, and land officers, helped resolve disputes and ensured that women’s rights were upheld at the community level. More than 26,827 community members have participated so far.

In 2024 alone, 311 women in Ikungi District received Customary Certificates of Right of Occupancy, 271 in their own names and 40 jointly with their spouses, helping families and communities rethink long-held beliefs about women’s land rights and roles.

Building Sustainable Incomes

Gudo now farms confidently, cultivating sunflower and sorghum for three consecutive years without fear of eviction. The increased income allowed her to resume building her house, buy an additional plot in her municipality, and purchase five cattle with hopes of expanding into commercial livestock keeping.

She also benefited from modern agricultural training through JP‑RWEE, where she learned to use certified seeds, plant in rows, apply fertilizer correctly, and care for soil health.

“Before, we farmed by tradition. Now I know how to use certified seeds, plant properly, and manage soil,” she said. “My harvests have improved, and I am farming with knowledge, not just hope.”

She also gained entrepreneurship and financial‑management skills, transforming how she runs her business.
Land ownership also transformed Gudo’s position in her household and community, and she now serves as a training facilitator for a collective savings group, where she mentors other women.

Expanding rights awareness across rural communities

In the coming years, Gudo hopes that these interventions and awareness provided through the project will continue to reach more communities, especially where cultural norms still restrict women’s rights. She urges leaders and local authorities to expand efforts to inform widows and vulnerable women about their rights.

“Many women lose everything when their husbands pass away, this knowledge must reach them.” she stressed.

Armed with the valuable piece of paper giving them tenure for the land they rightfully own, Gudo and many other women in her community continue to shape a future grounded in stability and choice.