Tanzania turns to agroforestry amid worsening climate change
(MENAFN) In southern Tanzania’s Mbarali region, the effects of climate change are starkly visible. Once-thriving rice fields now lie cracked and barren, forcing families to sell livestock to afford basic food like maize flour. Farmers recall when the Ruaha River flowed year-round and harvests were plentiful, but severe droughts, particularly from 2015 to 2017, drastically reduced yields and doubled the price of rice, leaving many questioning the future of farming.
Amid these hardships, some communities in Morogoro, on the slopes of the Uluguru Mountains, are finding hope through agroforestry. Mary Gasper Mkwama, a 50-year-old farmer, has transformed her three-acre plot into a mixed farm of avocado trees intercropped with maize and beans. Supported by the local nonprofit Agriwezesha, which has planted over 440,000 trees including avocado, pine, grevillea, and cypress, the initiative helps stabilize slopes, secure food, and protect against climate extremes.
For Mkwama, agroforestry has dramatically improved her life. Her income in peak season increased from 600,000 Tanzanian shillings ($245) to 3.2 million shillings ($1,300). “We eat avocados every day,” she says, “and for the first time I can pay school fees without begging.” The approach offers a practical model for Tanzanian farmers seeking resilience amid a changing climate.
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