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Report 2 (of 5): Greening
the Desert - Tanzania
Introduction
The world is losing over 9 million hectares
of forest each year and at least double this area is
being degraded. Conventional tree planting schemes have
failed to restore the range of forest species and services
necessary to maintain healthy ecosystems and contribute
to poor livelihoods. Yet while money does not grow on
trees, growing trees using traditional methods can enrich
the lives of the rural poor.
The Sukuma people in north-west Tanzania have been
working hard to make sure they are in control. Using
indigenous knowledge, they are practising a natural
resource management system called ngitili -
a Sukuma word meaning enclosure. Involving the conservation
of grazing and fodder lands by encouraging vegetation
regeneration and tree planting, ngitili has proven
to help protect the environment and improve the livelihoods
of communities in the region.
The Shinyanga landscape is now changing, thanks to
farmers' enthusiasm for agroforestry. Local people
now grow trees that provide much-needed wood for fuel
and construction. Soil erosion has been curbed, and
precious watersheds preserved. Working closely with
over 170 villages, the project has helped an estimated
350,000 to 500,000 hectares of woodland to be restored
since the project began in 1986.
The Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga Project
The Shinyanga region lies in the north
of Tanzania, occupied mainly by the agropastoral Sukuma
people. The Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga (HASHI) project,
which means 'soil conservation' in Kiswahili, is a government
initiative under the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Tourism. It has been instrumental in reviving the Sukuma
people's traditional practice of conservation.
Reviving Traditional Practices
The Shinyanga region used to be extensively
forested with dense woodland and bushland species. The
traditional practice of ngitili was used by people in
response to serious fodder shortages caused by the frequent
droughts typical in semi-arid areas. The government
relocation scheme, together with drought, over-grazing,
cash crop cultivation, destruction of forests to wipe
out tsetse fly and increased demand for fuel wood, began
to reduce land productivity and increase deforestation
and soil erosion.
Known as the 'Desert of Tanzania' this area prompted
the resurgence of ngitili thanks to the HASHI project.
Individual and communal ngitilis now cover over 70,000
hectares of restored woodland. Traditionally used
to provide animal fodder for very young, old or sick
animals unable to follow other animals to grazing
lands, they now provide a much wider range of benefits.
Establishing a Ngitili
Traditionally, each Sukuma family
had an ngitili located near the home compound to control
livestock grazing. Due to increasing herd sizes and
pressure on land, many Sukuma began to establish communal
ngitilis. Where an individual ngitili usually covers
an area of less than 5 hectares (12 acres), a communal
ngitili can cover up to 50 hectares (124 acres).
When establishing a ngitili, a number of factors
need to be considered:
- Site selection - Individual
ngitilis are usually established on degraded croplands
and rangelands but site selection is also determined
by land availability, proximity to homesteads, production
potentials and ease of protection.
- Species selection - Which
species are best for which use, such as soil conservation.
- Responsibility - For individual
ngitilis, the responsibility lies with the family
heads. For communal ngitilis the responsibility
lies with the group of elders.
- Conservation - Once selected,
degraded areas are closed off to protect them from
animals for a period of five years to allow regeneration.
- Management - Mapping and
demarcation of village grazing and cropping areas,
together with issuing title deeds, ensures the protection
and management of the ngitili.
- Protection - Traditional
village guards are used to protect the ngitilis,
and community assemblies to formulate sanctions,
laws and punishments for misuse.
- Order of usage - Farmers
prefer to use the communal ngitili first and save
private ones until communal feed sources are exhausted.
- Seasonal variations - In
the wet season areas are closed off to animals
in order to allow vegetation to regenerate. During
the dry season, once grazing areas are depleted,
the ngitili is opened bit by bit to allow animals
to feed.
'Ngitili' that originated as bare land is now
put to various uses, including controlled grazing
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Ngitili is now a common source of firewood for
sale and domestic use in Shinyanga region
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Biodiversity and Poverty Reduction
The restoration of ngitili is at the
heart of the HASHI project. It has also created local
responsibility and ownership for woodland restoration
and soil and water conservation. The traditional use
of ngitili for fodder production has now been extended
to include many other important benefits that have
helped conserve biodiversity while contributing to
reducing poverty.
- Communal ngitilis have helped to
restore degraded hill and river edge areas. This
provides dry season forage and helps to reduce soil
erosion and conserve catchment areas, improving
agriculture and livestock production.
- Ngitili has reduced the need to
travel long distances to collect wood products and
look for grazing areas during the dry season, reducing
threats to livestock from theft and disease.
- A private ngitili can increase
a farmer's land value, with wood more easily available
on-farm, providing fuel, poles and timber for building.
- Grasses provide material for thatching.
- Planting new tree varieties has
increased the variety of food products such as fruit.
- Growing medicinal plants has contributed
significantly to people's health, with the ten most
important medicinal plants harvested from ngitili
reserves.
Lessons Learned
The HASHI project has shown that through
using traditional forms of conservation, re-establishing
the ngitili system of land management has provided
many benefits to the natural environment and the livelihoods
of communities. Restoration of individual and communal
ngitili has been supported by the forestry sector
as an alternative to planting forest reserves. Through
actively encouraging biodiversity conservation, other
government programmes now support re-forestation efforts.
Recognition that villagers can responsibly manage
the natural resources that surround them has been
a crucial factor in ensuring the environmental and
economic sustainability of the area.
For further information, please contact:
Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga
(HASHI)
Mr W.C. Mlenge
Project Manager
P.O. Box 797
Shinyanga
Tanzania
Tel: + 225 (0)28 2763249
Fax: + 225 (0)28 2762198
E-Mail: hashi@africaonline.co.tz
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Information on forest conservation
Forest Conservation Programme
IUCN - World Conservation Union
Rue de Mauverney 28 CH-1196
Gland
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (22) 999-0001
Fax: +41 (22) 999-0025
E-Mail: mailto:forests@hq.iucn.org?subject=FCP (subject
line FCP)
Website: www.iucn.org/themes/fcp/home.html
The Forest Conservation Programme part of
the IUCN website contains many articles and
publications on restoration and conservation
of forests around the world.
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World Rainforest Movement
(WRM) HQ
Maldonado 1858
11200 Montevideo
Uruguay
Tel: +598 2 413 2989
Fax: +598 2 418 0762
E-mail: wrm@wrm.org.uy
Website: www.wrm.org.uy/
WRM is an international network of peoples'
groups of North and South involved in efforts
to defend the world's rainforests. This site
has up to date information on the latest issues
and has many useful links to other organisations.
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WRM Northern Office
1C The Fosseway Business Centre
Stratford Road
Moreton-in-Marsh
GL 56 9NQ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1608 652895
Fax: +44 (0)1608 652878
E-mail: wrm@gn.apc.org
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Forest Conservation Portal
PO Box 46281
Madison
Wisconsin 53744-6281
USA
E-Mail: gbarry@forests.org
Website: forests.org
This website offers a massive amount of information
and news on forest and biodiversity conservation.
It also includes numerous links to other sites.
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Further Reading
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
Books
Indigenous and traditional peoples
and protected areas: principles, guidelines and case
studies
Javier Beltran
£16.50, IUCN, 2000, ISBN: 2-8317-0547-9
This publication provides a framework for developing
partnerships between indigenous and other traditional
peoples and managers of protected areas. It contains
a number of case studies giving successful examples
from different parts of the world.
Acknowledgements
ITDG would like to thank W.C. Mlenge
at HASHI for providing images on the project.
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