CHOLOLOECOVILLAGE

September 2012
Supporting and empowering the community to test, evaluate and take up 20 climate change innovations

newsletter

a model of good practice

in 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 sunower 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 improved breeding and livestock management.

This project is funded by the European Union

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Agriculture
Launched in October 2011, the project The project is supplying drought had to work very quickly to get farmers resistant, high yielding seeds,and oxprepared for the planting season which drawn tillage implements to improve usually starts in December. Due to climate soil structure, and training in Good change, rainfall is now less predictable than Agricultural Practices. before. The 2011/12 rainy season included a 42-day dry spell which ruined some crops, Widespread take up of agricultural particularly maize. For this reason, the innovations has led to very promising results project focused on agricultural innovations particularly in food security. that make the most of the available rainfall. The improved varieties of sorghum, Some of the actions included: pearl millet, cowpeas, groundnuts and sunower have delivered good harvests; Capacity building 400 farmers through intensive training on Good Agricultural Family food security has improved as Practices: tillage and land preparation, grain stores have been lled; spacing, intercropping, soil water conservation (45 trained), production of Incomes have increased; sales of quality declared seeds (33 trained); sunower and sorghum have enabled Introduction and supply of 24 ox-drawn some farmers to build modern houses. tillage implements: Magoye ripper, oxweeder/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), sunower (112); Sub sector selection and analysis to identify income generation activity of most benet to women (191 farmers involved).

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

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The project aims to increase the genetic potential of local livestock breeds, improve productivity, livestock health and feeding
Dr. Francis Njau, Project Leader

Livestock
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 ve acres of improved pastures and ve acres of browse species; Established two small-scale tilapia sh ponds.

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Water
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 soil erosion, while 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 lls up with water in the rainy season then runs dry as the water ows 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

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.

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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

Natural resources / forestry

Women walk ve hours to collect rewood 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.

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Alternative energy
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 To address these issues, residents are energy saving stoves to reduce being supported to take up, test, and pressure on the forest reserves and evaluate a range of renewable energy improve health.
Poor natural resource management combined with the physical effects of climate change have depleted forest resources, meaning women must walk long distances to collect rewood. 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 biproduct of the biogas digester is a ready-touse 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.

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

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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.

Scaling Up sharing the good practice

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 eld 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.

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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

PO Box 138 DODOMA, TANZANIA

Tel: +255 762 926 426 Email: frabe59@gmail.com Web: www.irdp.ac.tz

This project is funded by the European Union

Contracting Authority: Ministry of Finance. Coordinating Unit: Vice Presidents Ofce - Environment Division Newsletter designed and produced by Michael Farrelly, TOAM

Disclaimer: This document has been produced with the nancial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of IRDP and can under no circumstances be regarded as reecting the position of the European Union.

INSTITUTE OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING