How participatory is participatory? Evaluating stakeholder participation in village land use conflict resolution. A case of Fukayosi village, Tanzania

Abstract

Land use conflicts are widespread globally because land underpins livelihoods and development. Their resolution varies with tenure security and governance structures. In East Africa, fragmented governance, marked by overlapping mandates, weak coordination, and inconsistent enforcement, shapes how such conflicts unfold. Tanzania exemplifies this challenge, as farmer-pastoralist disputes intensify despite policies promoting partici-patory approaches. This study examines two conflict cases in Fukayosi Village to analyse how participation evolves within these fragmented systems. It conceptualizes participation as a dynamic and processual trajectory shaped by institutional transitions rather than a fixed level of inclusion. Using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, informal conversations, and document analysis, Arnstein's Ladder is applied to track shifts from early community-led action to later administrative and statutory intervention. The Split Ladder complements this by capturing how trust, governance modes, and knowledge uncertainty influence participation as disputes move between community forums, village offices, police, and courts. The findings show that participation expands during early, community-based stages, where actors engage in evidence gathering and local mediation, but declines sharply as disputes enter administrative and statutory arenas, where procedural requirements and evidentiary standards restrict local influence. The study contributes to debates on participatory governance by demonstrating that participation must be understood as a dynamic process shaped by transitions between relational and procedural governance systems. It concludes that participation is constrained not by community reluctance but by structural shifts across governance arenas, highlighting the need for improved coordination, feedback mechanisms, and trust-building to support inclusive land-use conflict resolution.