Context
Kilimanjaro is one of four major highlands [i.e. Mt Meru near Arusha, Kilimanjaro near Moshi, the Pare Mts around Same, and the Usambaras around Lushoto] in North East Tanzania. Each of these highlands has higher rainfall than the surrounding lowlands, so greater agricultural productivity and higher population densities also distinguish them from those lowlands. However, around Kilimanjaro it is also true that rapid population growth in recent decades has encouraged the Chagga people to settle in areas of poor rainfall but fertile soil around the base of the volcano.
Such environmental conditions present some special problems for local farmers. The steep gradients which are common in these highlands are vulnerable to water-caused soil erosion especially when tree clearance precedes cultivation of the soil. Such tree felling is often followed by increased surface runoff of rainwater, soil erosion, and increased desiccation, which can be seen where traditional water supplies such as springs & rivers have become dry.
Many of these problems can be seen in Rombo District on the eastern flanks of Kilimanjaro. Some of the steep-sided hills around Mamsera show mass movement features, bare ground and eroded soil in places of good rainfall. In the lower areas near Holili the combination of rapid deforestation and low, unreliable rains is threatening that locality with desertification. Within Rombo District, as in many other parts of Tanzania, there is a rapidly growing sense of the need to replant trees in order to protect the environment on which many Chagga households depend for their living.
Kibo Summit seen from Uru January 2007 after a heavy snowfall
Typical Mamsera Juu scenery- steep slopes with eucalyptus trees, bananas, coffee & vegetable crops
Maize grown on its own at the summit of Kasese Hill is a waste of effort and environment.
This photo was taken on 17th January 2007 when the maize should have been approaching harvest time. I returned to this same field on 20th February2008. It was a bare patch of soil with no crops and many rills, which are indicative of water-caused soil erosion. Fortunately, on the other side of Kasese summit a healthy and profitable eucalyptus woodlot was well established.
An area of tree clearance, soil erosion and blighted harvests near Mamsera.
To solve all these environmental problems will require concerted action involving many aspects of development e.g. better environmental education, increased opportunities for non-agricultural employment, specific soil conservation measures. However, a relatively simple way to start local communities working to improve their own environment is a tree-planting project.
Soil erosion gullies in the areas of low, irregular rainfall and thorn bush near Holili in lower Rombo. Note the figure in the left background giving an indication of the size of these 4 metre deep gullies.
Contact
The first stage of this project was implemented between March and September 2007 under the direction of Fr Patrick Soka. As the parish priest of Mengwe, a parish of approximately 25,000 members in a strongly Catholic part of Kilimanjaro, he is an influential person within the local community. He has agreed to act as the local coordinator for the various tree-planting groups involved in this project and he can be contacted by phone [tel. (+255) 0754392844] or through email at revsoka@yahoo.com. For those in Tanzania who wish to find out more about this tree-planting work, Mr Mtono the District Forestry Officer can be contacted on 0784 620310, and Mrs Mamseri, who is the leader for two of the planting groups, can be contacted at 0784473665.
Project Proposal
The initial discussions about this project took place in March 2007. At that time SGG had limited funds, especially as nearly all of the charity funds were already committed to other projects. Thus, it was decided to start with a small pilot scheme based near Ngoyoni church where Fr Soka wished to plant an area of indigenous trees, including mvule. He received a grant of £95 to undertake such work. There was also discussion with other community leaders, who expressed interest in tree-planting. Such leaders included Mrs Marcia Mamseri, a councilor representing Mamsera ward on the District Council, and Mr Korentini Shirima, who was the Chairman for the ‘Wanachama wa nyumba kumi’ in the Aleni Secondary School area. At that time SGG was unable to supply a starting grant to such people, but it was agreed that they should have the first option of grants should they become available in 2008.
In November 2007 a donation of £250 for the purpose of ‘tree-planting on Kilimanjaro’ was received by SGG. A return visit in January 2008 to Mengwe and an inspection of the indigenous trees planted at Ngoyoni lead to the second stage of the project when tree-planting is meant to be scattered widely through the community rather than confined to institutional land. To facilitate the spread of tree-planting activity, the grant was to be divided among 5 independent groups, each located in a different part of Rombo District and each responsible for their own particular project. In addition, a further grant of £50 was to be given to Sr Borgia of the ‘Kilimanjaro Sisters’ to establish a tree nursery at Ngoyoni.
Thus, the participating groups in 2008 are as follows –
- Ndaswa [meaning ‘Trust’ in Kichagga] group based at Mamsera Juu. Marcia Mamseri is the Chair & Anselmi Fokas the Secretary for this group with 7 active members
- Upendo [meaning ‘Love’ in Kiswahili] group based at Mamsera Chini & also led by Marcia Mamseri
- Sr Borgia of the Kilimanjaro Sisters who is based at Ngoyoni church. She has received £50 for the purpose of extending the area of indigenous trees planted in 2007, and a further £50 to establish a tree nursery
- Mr Korentini Shirima , a ‘Mwenyekiti wa nyumba kumi’ [Chairman of ‘group of 10 households’, which is the most basic unit used for community action in rural Tanzania] in Keni parish. He was away from Rombo at the time when SGG were visiting, so we have no details of this group, other than knowing that they wish to be part of a tree-planting programme.
Mr Mtono, the District Forestry Officer, was asked on the 10th January to recommend a community group undertaking work in the Rombo Mkuu area. At a meeting on 21st February he proposed 2 such groups i.e. DITEC [meaning ‘Development Investors Through Environment Conservation’] and the Shikoni group. It was decided to divide any £50 grant equally between these two groups, and also suggested that they focus on planting indigenous trees in their particular projects.
Progress So Far
A visit to Ngoyoni on 9th January 2008 established that the 2007 planting were successful. A tree count was taken on that day of trees planted on the valley side within the church grounds since March 2007. The total counted was 58 mvule trees and 347 other indigenous species. As the original grant of £95 had to include the cost of manure, the transport of manure, and wages of the labourers, SGG believes that at an average cost of less than 25p/tree this represents good value for money.
One of the mvule trees planted in March 2007. This shamba is a good example of agroforestry where trees, such as these mangoes & mvule, and arable crops are grown together.
Tree-planting on the left side of this valley but clearance on the right.
The decision to distribute the funds available between 5 separate tree-planting groups was made on 11th January 2008. As the first two months usually bring dry weather to Rombo, my expectation was that little planting would occur before the normally heavy rains of March. This assumption seemed very reasonable, especially as Mr Mtono’s recommended group had not yet been identified and also the Keni group had not confirmed their interest in the project. The assumption turned out to be incorrect. The two groups based at Mamsera Juu and Mamsera Chini responded immediately, and within a few weeks young seedlings were purchased and in the ground.
As a consequence of this quick action, a critical part of the SGG visit to Mengwe on 19th-21st February was occupied with seeing what work had been already accomplished by the Ndaswa and Upendo groups. These groups had purchased 1,000 seedlings [ie. 400 grevillea, 400 pinus patula, 100 mringamringa, and 100 mti kunuka], and distributed them to 6 schools [with a total of 385 young trees] and 23 individual farmers, who accounted for a further 569 trees. Most of these farmers took about 10 trees for their shambas which were already densely planted. However, 2-3 farmers took 100 seedlings as their lands were on hillsides and particularly vulnerable to soil erosion. During this visit it was estimated that approximately 50 seedlings had perished, which is not surprising in view of the dry conditions at the time of planting.
Two schools were visited by SGG at this time. One was Malowa Primary who received 120 seedlings. The other was Mamsera Secondary School who were donated 50 trees.
This is Mamsera Secondary School. This is a new school still under construction. There is a large space of bare ground around these new buildings. The School has already received 50 seedlings, but it needs at least another 200 trees if there is to be an adequate windbreak for the students. Such schools provide a good opportunity to get important environmental messages across to the local community.
School children at Malowa Primary School crowd round a newly planted grevillea.
There were excellent signs of progress at both Malowa and Mamsera schools, but 170 trees for this large exposed school site is not sufficient. Malowa Primary would like to plant a tree for each pupil to take care. This means that they need 454 currently. Next door to Malowa is another primary school, Mseke Primary, who did not receive any seedlings. The head there, Mr Kimaro, has made a request for ‘at least 100 seedlings’. Nearby is the new Mamsera Secondary School where an additional 200 trees are needed.
Over 10 seedlings have been planted in this already crowded coffee-banana shamba.
Most of Upendo and Ndaswa’s trees have been planted by individual farmers, sometimes in already crowded shambas where it is difficult to assess the added-value of new tree plantings. Some of the farmers, however, used a large number of seedlings to bring back tree cover to bare and unproductive hillsides. It will be an important part of the 2009 monitoring visit to see how successful these hillside plantings have been.
The other major development during the February visit to Mengwe concerned Mr Mtono’s tree planting group. On 21st February he presented SGG with project proposals from 2 groups, both of whom had schemes to spend several times more than the funds SGG can make available. It was decided that both groups should receive a grant of £25, which should be sufficient to allow them to plant at least 150 trees each. These two groups were asked to focus on that part of their proposals which concerned the planting of indigenous trees along watercourses. Funding allocation in 2009 will be dependent on their success with such indigenous tree planting.
Kibo Summit in the morning light. Can the beauty of Kilimanjaro Region be maintained at a time when Tanzanians are working for the eradication of poverty from their country?
It would be unreasonable to expect any further progress until the heavy rains come to Kilimanjaro in March and April. At the time of my return to the UK in early March, there had been some heavy showers but the main rains had not yet come. Thus, for further details we must wait on the weather.