Looking into the future: Green Growth in the shadows of activism and development
Green Growth ideas exist in the margins of local planning as a prerequisite for going global, with three main overarching aims: promoting economic development with environmental sustainability; redistributing wealth and improving the livelihoods of the poor; and promoting global response to environmental impacts. Despite the activism and critiques against the formulation of these development corridors, the government of Tanzania looks toward the future with determination. Following five years of operation of the Ihemi Cluster, in 2017 the Mbarali cluster was inaugurated, while the Kilombero Cluster came into operation in 2018.
1 Daily News, Friday 27th October 2017, Boost for Peasants on horizon as all’s set for launch of Mbarali Cluster, the second; Mtanzania, 27th October 2017, SAGCOT Kufungua Kongani ya Pili Mbarali; HabariLeo, 26th October, Kongani Mpya Kufunguliwa; The Citizen, Thurday 29th October 2017, SAGCOT Opens Mbarali Cluster Today to boost Agriculture; https://sagcot.co.tz/index.php/event/launch-of-the-sagcot-kilombero-cluster/ [Accessed 21.8.2021] These are among the six major clusters in the SAGCOT corridor, and target different production outcomes depending on the geographical endowments of each area. The other clusters in the queue are Ludewa, Rufiji, and Sumbawanga, the implementation of which will make the programme a fully operational undertaking. The reason why some in the government and social groups consider the scheme a panacea results from the 2017 evaluation that indicated positive development. After six years of operation, the SAGCOT was considered to have been successfully implemented, hence the push to open up the second and third clusters in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Up to October 2017 a total of 488 million USD had already been invested in the projects.
2 Peter Keasi, How SAGCOT Changes Farming, Daily News, Saturday 4th November 2017.