Silayo, Valence M.Pikirayi, Innocent2024-05-302024-05-302023-03Silayo, V.M.; Pikirayi, I. Community-Based Approaches in the Construction and Management of Water Infrastructures among the Chagga, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Land 2023, 12, 570. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030570.2073-445X (online)10.3390/land12030570http://hdl.handle.net/2263/96291DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: While some of the ethnographic data is unavailable due to privacy or ethical restrictions, the data used in this paper is archived with Figshare (https://figshare.com/, accessed on 22 December 2022) and is accessible upon request. The original GIS images of the mapping done for this research is archived at the GIS Laboratory at, Stella Maris Mutwara University College, Tanzania.Water management among the Chagga people of Kilimanjaro has involved community collaboration in the construction, ownership and management of water infrastructures. Since the second half of the secondmillenniumAD, the Chagga settlement on the lower slopes ofMt Kilimanjaro significantly transformed the landscape to reflect an agrarian society characterised by decentralised forms of socio-political and economic organisation. Such organisation involved conception, construction, and post-construction management of water distribution systems, synonymous with high levels of socio-political complexity. The study employs ethnography and archaeological surveys to document the construction of water infrastructures on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. An ethnographic survey among Chagga elders generated primary data on water furrow construction. This information was then used to aid archaeological surveys in mapping irrigation furrows (mfongo) in the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro. The ethnography also provided data on how Chagga chiefs and clan leaders governed the construction, use and maintenance of water infrastructures in the past. Such approaches highlighted Chagga lived experiences of traditional irrigation technologies and infrastructures and how these developed a complex agrarian society. Results show that community collaboration was key in the management of water infrastructure vital for their home gardens, and this sustained Chagga society for centuries.en© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).ChaggaKilimanjaroWater infrastructuresIrrigationFurrows (mfongo)Furrow constructionWater managementHome gardensChiefdomsClansSDG-06: Clean water and sanitationArticle