1 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

a model of good practicein climate change adaptation and mitigation

The Institute of Rural Development Planning is leading a team of six agencies to transform Chololo into an ecovillage - a model of good practice in climate change adaptation and mitigation. The project is supporting and empowering the community to test, evaluate and take up new innovations in agriculture, livestock, water, energy, and forestry.

Since the project started in October 2011, over half of all households have participated in climate change awareness raising events, training workshops, and project activities.With many events taking place at the primary school (800 pupils), including rainwater harvesting and the establishment of a school tree nursery, children are learning about climate change.

Fourteen climate change adaptation interventions have been tested so far, with evaluation underway.

Improved harvests of crops, notably early maturing sorghum, pearl millet, and sunflower are contributing to the food security of hundreds of farming households and increasing household incomes for over 100 farmers, while 123 chicken keepers, mostly female, are starting to see the results of i m p r o v e d b r e e d i n g a n d l i v e s t o c k management.

CHOLOLOECOVILLAGE

Supporting and empowering the community to test, evaluate and take up 20 climate change innovations

Sep

tem

ber

201

2

This project is funded by the European Union

new

slet

ter

2 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

Launched in October 2011, the project had to work very quickly to get farmers prepared for the planting season which usually starts in December. Due to climate change, rainfall is now less predictable than before. The 2011/12 ‘rainy season’ included a 42-day dry spell which ruined some crops, particularly maize. For this reason, the project focused on agricultural innovations that make the most of the available rainfall.

Some of the actions included:

Capacity building 400 farmers through intensive training on Good Agricultural Practices: tillage and land preparation, s p a c i n g , i n t e rc ro p p i n g , s o i l w a t e r conservation (45 trained), production of quality declared seeds (33 trained);

Introduction and supply of 24 ox-drawn tillage implements: Magoye ripper, ox-weeder/ridger/plough. (80 trained);

Introduction and supply of improved seeds (drought-resistant / high-yielding / early-maturing): sorghum (100 farmers), pearl millet (190), cowpeas (122), groundnuts (8), sunflower (112);

Sub sector selection and analysis to identify income generation activity of most benefit to women (191 farmers involved).

Widespread take up of agricultural innovations has led to very promising results particularly in food security.

The improved varieties of sorghum, pearl millet, cowpeas, groundnuts and sunflower have delivered good harvests;

Family food security has improved as grain stores have been filled;

Incomes have increased; sales of sunflower and sorghum have enabled some farmers to build modern houses.

The project is supplying drought resistant, high yielding seeds,and ox-drawn tillage implements to improve soil structure, and training in Good Agricultural Practices.

AgricultureC

HO

LOLO

ECOVILLAGE

Ox-drawn Magoye Ripper breaks up the hard pan, allowing rainwater to enrich the soil

Good agricultural practices include correct spacing, intercropping, soil water conservation, and seed production

3 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

“The project aims to increase the genetic potential of local livestock breeds, improve productivity, livestock health and feeding”

Dr. Francis Njau, Project Leader

Livestock often have a negative impact on natural resources and farming, through overgrazing of common land, compaction of earth, eating crops, and competing for scarce water resources. The project aims to reduce the negative impact on natural resources and develop positive interactions between livestock and arable farming. Oxen are now being used to prepare land for planting, reducing farmers workload. Farmyard manure is now being used to help fertilise the soil. Crop residues can be used to feed livestock.

The project is increasing the genetic potential of livestock in the village, through the introduction of improved breeds of cattle, goats and chickens. This will increase the productivity of the animals, producing more meat, more milk, and more eggs, more quickly.

We are also working to improve the health of the livestock, and ensure they have adequate feed, particularly during the dry season.

Livestock activities so far include:

Capacity building training on livestock keeping: cattle (26 farmers trained - 6 female), goats (28 farmers trained - 10 female) and chicken (64 farmers trained – 38 female);

Supply of 30 improved Mpwapwa breed bulls;

Supply of 60 blended goat bucks;

Supply of 123 improved cocks;

Supply of acaracide for tick control, and other veterinary drugs;

Established five acres of improved pastures and five acres of browse species;

Established two small-scale tilapia fish ponds.

Livestock

CH

OLO

LOEC

OVILLAGE

4 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

Water is a big problem. When the project began in October 2011, there was no drinking water supply to the village as the borehole equipment had broken down, so people (mostly women and girls) had to walk for two hours a day to get a bucket of water from the next village. When the rains come, the water soon runs away, creating gullies, and causing soi l erosion, whi le the groundwater aquifer is not being recharged.

The project is tackling these issues through several innovations:

The village water supply has been restored after repairs to the village borehole equipment;

The village primary school has been equipped with roof catchment rainwater harvesting equipment, capturing 60,000 litres of water in underground tanks;

The nearby riverbed fills up with water in the rainy season then runs dry as the water flows away downstream. The project has constructed a sub surface dam to capture thousands of tons of water in the sandy river bed, providing water for domestic use and livestock through the dry season;

A sand dam is being built to capture rainwater and recharge the groundwater reserves.

The project is harvesting rainwater from roof catchment, sub-surface dam, and sand-dam

WaterC

HO

LOLO

ECOVILLAGE

The Deputy Regional Administrative Secretary inspects the school rainwater harvesting scheme,

and a view (right) of the sub-surface dam, designed to retain thousands of tons of water for use in the dry season.

5 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

“We aim to improve access to natural resources through tree planting, agroforestry, and community land use planning and management, while encouraging the use of alternative energy.”

Dr. Francis Njau, Project Leader

Women walk five hours to collect firewood from the forest, as the trees have been cut down for fuel, charcoal and construction. Trees help to stabilize soils, provide shade and protection from the wind. The loss of trees increases soil erosion, wind speed and land degradation.

The project aims to increase access to natural resources through tree planting, agroforestry, and community land use planning and management, while encouraging the use of alternative sources of energy.

The project has:

Trained 133 community members and village leaders on afforestation, nursery management and tree planting;

Planted 14,668 tree seedlings (leuceana, acacia polycanth, neem, mango, guava) at 208 households, six churches, the primary school, and the dispensary;

Planted 3,000 trees in three acres of village forest reserve.

Natural resources / forestry

CH

OLO

LOEC

OVILLAGE

6 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

Poor natural resource management combined with the physical effects of climate change have depleted forest resources, meaning women must walk long distances to collect firewood.

To address these issues, residents are being supported to take up, test, and evaluate a range of renewable energy technologies, including energy saving cooking stoves, and low cost biogas plants.

Energy-saving stoves can reduce the amount of wood needed to cook, and thereby reduce pressure on forest resources, while saving women time and effort, and reducing harmful smoke in the home.

Biogas digesters convert biomass, particularly animal dung which is readily available and currently little used, into a gas that can fuel cooking stoves and lamps. A bi-product of the biogas digester is a ready-to-use nutrient-rich manure slurry, a natural soil fertiliser.

Villagers have been empowered with:10 domestic biogas plants producing

energy for cooking and lighting;

60 energy-saving cooking stoves installed in 60 households, using half as much wood, and evacuating smoke through a chimney;

Studying the feasibility of a hybrid solar panel / wind turbine water pumping system for the village borehole.

Due to deforestation, women are walking for five hours to collect firewood, and families are living in smoke filled houses. The project is promoting the use of biogas, and energy saving stoves to reduce pressure on the forest reserves and improve health.

Alternative energyC

HO

LOLO

ECOVILLAGE

The Minister of Environment lighting the first biogas-powered cooking stove

7 http://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

The challenge is how to scale up and share these good innovations with other communities across the region who are also facing the impact of climate change.

It is clear that the Ecovillage project is creating a useful model of good practice. The challenge is how to scale up and share these good innovations with other communities across the region who are also facing the impact of climate change.

Farmers field days help to celebrate and share good practice;

National TV and press coverage is helping to spread the word;

Chololo farmers tell the story on local radio, encouraging other farmers to try the innovations;

A Swahili drama and dance group explains the causes and effects of climate change, and encourages tree-planting, good agricultural practices, rainwater harvesting, and the use of alternative energy;

The Chololo Ecovillage website is keeping a diary of the project, in words, pictures, sound and video;

Join us on FaceBook: just search for Chololo Ecovillage.

Scaling Upsharing the good practice

CH

OLO

LOEC

OVILLAGE

8 Newsletter designed and produced by Michael Farrelly, TOAM

Chololo Ecovillage Project

is delivered by a partnership of the following agencies:

Institute   of   Rural   Development   Planning        (IRDP)  www.irdp.ac.tz

Agricultural   Research   Institute   Hombolo  (ARIH)  

Dodoma  Environmental  Network  (DONET)

Dodoma  Municipal  Council  (DMC)

Maji   na   Maendeleo   Dodoma   (MAMADO)http://www.mamado.org/

Tanzania   Organic   Agriculture   Movement  (TOAM)          www.kilimohai.org

Mr Swai, ARI Hombolo, with high yielding groundnuts

INSTITUTE OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNINGPO Box 138 DODOMA, TANZANIA

Tel: +255 762 926 426Email: frabe59@gmail.com

Web: www.irdp.ac.tz

CH

OLO

LOEC

OVILLAGE

!

This project is funded by the European UnionContracting Authority: Ministry of Finance. Coordinating Unit: Vice President’s Office - Environment Division

Dis

clai

mer

: Th

is

doc

umen

t ha

s be

en p

rodu

ced

with

the

fin

anci

al

assi

stan

ce

of

the

Eu

rop

ea

n U

nio

n.

Th

e co

nten

ts o

f thi

s do

cum

ent a

re

the

sole

resp

onsi

bilit

y of

IR

DP

an

d c

an

un

de

r n

o ci

rcum

stan

ces

be

rega

rded

as

re

flect

ing

the

posi

tion

of

the

Euro

pean

Uni

on.