A tale of two associations: institutions and governance of the green economy

Written by Frances Cleaver and Brock Bersaglio

In Ukwavila Village, situated in Tanzania’s Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor (SAGCOT) and bordering Ruaha National Park, two new organisations have been established in the last few years. One is an Irrigators Cooperative and the other is a Pastoralist Association. In this blog we use brief vignettes of these organisations, derived from initial fieldwork, to think through the relationship between the emergence and functioning of institutions, green economy interventions and the actions of local people.

The Irrigators Cooperative

In 2016, a group of farmers in Ukwavila Village formally registered themselves as an Irrigators Cooperative in line with recent national legislation. Their certificate of registration is proudly displayed on the wall of their office, which is located next door to the village government office. The Village Chairman initiated the idea of the Cooperative and was active in the process of mobilizing people to both form and…