Improving rural livelihoods by rainwater harvesting in the lowlands of Kilimanjaro

Improving rural livelihoods by rainwater harvesting in the lowlands of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Phase I and II, Sept 2006 - Nov 2011)

Due to severe population pressure on the upper slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, more and more families need to make their living by farming the adjacent dry lowlands. According to a recent livelihood study in which 45 farmers took part, 47% of lowland farmers interviewed mentioned lack of enough water amongst the most crucial problems in growing crops. Further, 33% said they cannot grow trees due to inadequate water. Lack of capital to invest in farm inputs is also typically mentioned amongst the most serious problems affecting productive farming. Many houses, though, have tin roofs from which water can be collected for household use and small-scale drip irrigation. One solutions to lack of capital is the establishment of self-help groups for saving.

The project works with 43 group members. With an average of 6 persons in a household we assist about 258 persons.

What has been done so far? (Read from bottom up)

Evaluation was organised as a group questionnaire for the first half of December.
15th November McKnight Foundation consultant Prudence Kaijage visited the project.
Attempts were made to organise project planning and fundraising training, however, all plans failed to get this done. Groups would be interested in starting their own projects and they have some vague idea what it could be, however, to start organising it in practice is very challenging.
June was the end of tank building in this project. Funds that remained were transferred to Mwanga rainwater harvesting project.
13th June Kuringe group bought materials for two tanks in one go. Building started immediately. These are the last tanks in the project, 43rd and 44th tanks. The project was supposed to end at the end of March, but more time was given for the groups to finish building. Two group members (one is Amani and one in Mchaka Mchaka) remained without tanks.
4th June Training in farming as a commercial eterprise, economic concepts and planning was given to Kuringe group in Matala. Baraka Mponda, a farmer who has become a successfull commercial vegetable and fruit farmer visited this event. Training was received very well. It managed to motivate farmers to plan their activities better and diversify to cash crops. The group is eager to continue activities when the Liana project is over. The project will assist them in planning activities and look for funding. The whole group of 10 people took part.
2 June Amani started to build their 10th tank. This is the 42nd tank in the project.
28 May Training in farming as a commercial eterprise, economic concepts and planning was given to all groups in Makaa. Baraka Mponda, a farmer who has become a successfull commercial vegetable and fruit farmer visited this event. Some individuals would be eager to continue some development activities after the project ends. Training started much late and several people did not come. There was a clear lack of interest in continuing the project since practically all have now recieved a tank. However, the content did wake up many to think about better planning of their farming and the disire to be able to sell and make money.
25th May Those 5 people in Makaa who wanted Upesi clay stoves got the newly improved model from Jipe.
23-28 May Kuringe built their 9th tank. This is the 41st tank in the project.
16 May onwards Makaa school stove is built as part of the training for fundis.
13-20 April Mchaka Mchaka built thier 9th tank. This is the 40th tank in the project.
28 March - 5 April Kuringe built thier 8th tank. This is the 39th tank in the project.
14 - 21 March Mchaka Mchaka group will build thier 8th tank. This will be the 38th tank in the project.
21 Feb - 1st March Kuringe built thier 7th tank. This is the 37th tank in the project.
21 Feb - 1 March Imani group built their sixth and last tank. This is the 36th tank in the project.
7 - 14 Feb Amani built their 9th tank. This is the 35th tank in the project
24th January 2011 Training to fundis continue by building a school stove to Matala village primary school.
12-17 December 2010 Training in bulding a brick stove 'Liana homestead' was offered to the tank building fundis in Makaa village. Four fundis built two stoves over the 5 day course.
December Gliricidia sepium cutting were planted by 10 farmers both in Matala and in Makaa. Gliricidia has not previously been introduced in the area.
Amani group built their 8th tank 21- 29 November and the tank was guttered immediately after. This is the 34th tank in the project.
Training was offered in suitable tree species for for the area firewood, timber, fodder. In Matala village Kuringe was trained on the 4th October and in Makaa Mchaka Mchaka (5women), Amani (4men, 4 women), Azimio (2men, 3 women) and Imani (2 women) were trained on the 9th of October. Species included Faitherbia albida, Gliricidia sepium, Markhamia obtusifolia, Azadirachta indica, Grevillea, Casuarina equisetifolia, Melia volkensii, Leucaena leucocephala and Calliandra (for Matala only). Training included also informed selection of planting sites (borders, scattered in the field, woodlot and contours), and which species is suitable where, what spacing is suitable, and how to establish contours. Other suitable species (all indigenous) were suggested by the participants.
19 August 2010. Maogola Mbelwa from the Tengeru Horticultural Institute trained Makaa groups in grafting fruit trees.
22-31 July Kuringe group built their 6th tank. This is the 33rd tank in the project.
17th July Imani group started to built their 5th tank. This is the 32nd tank in the project.
Amani group 7th tank and Mchaka Mchaka 7th tank were built in 3-11 May and 21-30 June 2010 respectively. These are 30th and 31st tanks in the project.
Makaa group members have established mango nurseries for grafting later with Mbelwa. These nurseries are at the homesteads of one MchakaMchaka member (6 mangos), one Imani and four Amani members. These make a total of 100 plants, mango, avocado, lemon, pawpaw, jackfruit.
April 2010 three tanks were guttered, Azimio 5th tank, Amani 6th tank and Mchaka Mchaka 6th tank.
14th of April Moudy Nyimbile arrived in Makaa to train nine (7 females and 2 males) students on how to build Lorena mud stoves. Seven stoves were built on the three-day course. The same course was given to Kuringe group in Matala. Seven students (4 males, 3 females) took part and eight stoves were built. In both places termite hills were used to replace clay.
Training on suitable fruit trees (selection, varieties, grafting, pests, planting) took place on sat 13th March in Matala and 20th March in Makaa. All groups were trained. Trees selected for Matala were Mango, Karambola/Starfruit, Lichi, Macadamia and Avocado. Trees selected for Makaa were Mango, Avocado and Papaya. Kuringe group in Matala decided to buy grafted avocados from Mbelwa. The group paid half the price and the project paid another half. Seedlings were delivered by the coordinator on the 10th of April. Makaa groups suggested to grow rootstock from seeds and agreed with Mbelwa to come and train them in grafting after five months.
Azimio and MchakaMchaka groups started to build their tanks fifth and sixth tanks respectively. These are the twenty eighth and twenty ninth group tanks. Azimio is the first group that has achieved its aim: All the group members have a tank.
25 January Amani group started to build their sixth group tank. This is the twenty seventh group tank in the project.
14-15 Jan Imani group received a two-day training course in horticulture at AVRDC.
10-11 Dec 2009 Following a request, extra training was offered to groups (Amani, Imani, Kuringe) in firewood-saving stoves.
9th of September Azimio group started building their fourth tank. This is the twenty sixth group tank in the project. Imani has adopted drip irrigation following informal training by a group member of another group in the village. One Amani group member has a new and successful drip irrigated garden.
10th June 2009 all groups in Makaa were visited. Imani group, the new group that replaced failed groups of Kilototoni has started growing vegetables on their own. They grow tomatoes, lettuce, cowpeas, Chinese cabbage and amaranthus by irrigating by cans. Garden establishment and drip irrigation training was suggested to them. Amani's live fence has been transplanted from the nursery but is suffering as not enough rains were received during the rainy season in April-May to collect enough water.
26th June 2009 Kuringe built their fifth tank. This is the twenty-fifth tank in the project. This tank is built by Tumaini Kiwelu and Faoundation Masue independently without supervision of the trainer fundi. So the project has now two more graduated fundis qualified to operate independently.
20th of June 2009 Imani group built their fourth tank. This is the twenty-fourth tank in the project.
30th April 2009 Mchaka Mchaka group started their fifth tank. This is the twenty-third tank in the project.
16th May 2009 Amani group started to build their fifth tank. Thus this group is half way in achieving their goal of building a tank for each member in the group. This is the twenty-second tank in the project.
14th March 2009 Kuringe group started to build their fourth tank. This is the twenty-first tank in the project. Gutters were built to all four new tanks.
9 March 2009 Imani group started to build their third tank. This is the twentieth tank in the project.
21 Feb 2009 Imani group started to build their second tank. This is the nineteenth tank in the project.
9 Feb 2009 Imani group started to build their first tank. This is the eighteenth tank in the project.
As more people would have earlier liked to join the project in Makaa, the project called the Makaa Rainwater harvesting committee chair and secretary together and asked them to contact these persons. An opportunity was given to form a new group of six persons. As a result Imani group got established by the technical assistance of the committee chair and secretary. These people had already saved money for tanks, in case, an opportunity arises for them to benefit from the project. They had money for three tanks ready.
In January 2009 Maendeleo dropped out from the project. It never performed since the first tank was built. It was given nine months extra time to get organised and save for the second tank. The group did dissolve after which new members were recruited. However, due to lacking leadership nothing came out of it.
21 Jan 2009 Maogola Mbelwa from the Tengeru Horticultural Institute trained Kuringe group on trimming the live fence that protects the drip irrigated vegetable garden.
15 Dec 2008 Training was organised in drip irrigation kit fabrication. Atanas Ndanu was trained by Anenmose Maro of TIP.
26 November 2008 More Dovyalis seeds (about 3000) were given out to three group members (of Kuringe and Amani) to establish nurseries for live fences.
11th October 2008 Amani group started building their fourth tank. This is the seventeenth tank built in the project.
31 July - 2 August 2008 Live fences were planted as demonstration around 3 kitchen gardens to protect them from chickens and goats. Much less seedlings survived for planting and gardens were fenced only partially, so more work remains for the next rains.
22nd - 31st July 2008 Amani built their third tank. This is the sixteenth tank in the project.
4th July 2008 Azimio group started building their third group tank. This is the fifteenth tank built in the project.
12th June Machaka Mchaka group started to build their fourth tank. This is the fourteenth tank in the project.
24th May Kuringe group started building their third group tank. This is the thirteenth tank in the project.
2nd, 3rd and 5th May Training was offered in live fences, i.e. suitable species that can form a dense hedge that can protect the kitchen garden from chickens and goats. One nursery per village was established as training.
21April Mchaka Mchaka group in Makaa started building their third group tank. This is the twelfth tank in the project.
18 March - 1 April Gutters were built for two new tanks. A new person, Edvin Maleo was trained in guttering as the efforts of the first guttering training did not bear expected fruits.
18 March 2008 Azimio group completed their second rainwater harvesting tank. This is the eleventh tank in the project. Guttering training started.
11th Feb Tank building for Mchaka Mchaka group tank started. McKnight field visit to the project site.
31 Jan - 8 Feb 2008 Amani group built their second tank.
4 Jan 2008 Azimio and Amani groups received further training in the management of their kitchen gardens. The training included e.g. organic means to combat pests and fungus, putting stakes for tomatoes. The two kitchen gardens seem to do well. Some rain showers were received and Amani's tank was half full enabling watering. Other groups were also visited and advised on what needs doing next. Kuringe group in Matala had faced serious problems with fungus especially on tomatoes and lost their harvest.
4 - 11 Dec 2007 Kuringe group of Matala village built their second group tank (first by cost sharing basis). This tank is the eighth tank built within the project. Gutters are built right after by a newly trained gutter fundi on his own. This is the first building effort in the project conducted by a newly trained local fundi independently.
19 Nov 2007 Jonathan Otto, the McKnight Foundation consultant for Eastern and Southern Africa visited the project site.
6 Nov 2007 Azimio and Amani groups established their seedbeds to grow seedlings for kitchen garden establishment.
5 - 6 Nov 2007 Follow-up training of drip irrigated kitchen garden management. The first real set-back within the project: two of the three kitchen gardens were destroyed, one was eaten by birds (the garden is the only green patch for miles!) and the other by a stray goat. Kuringe group kitchen garden in Matala is continuing excellently and the group established two more beds and are watering them by buckets..
15 - 16 & 19 Oct 2007 On-farm group training in the establishment of a drip irrigated kitchen garden. Three demonstration kitchen gardens were established in the guidance of Horticulturalist Hassan Mndiga of the World Vegetable Centre, Tengeru and Irrigation Engineer Anenmose Maro of TIP, Moshi. Training took place in Kilototoni (Upendo and Maendeleo groups), Makaa (Mchaka Mchaka group) and Matala (Kuringe group). Vegetables planted include: African egg plant/ngogwe, 3 varieties of tomatoes, kales/sukuma wiki, 2 varieties of amaranths/mchicha, sun hemp/marejea, cochorus/mlenda, vegetable soybean/soya, okra/mbamia, cowpea/kunde, night shade/mnavu.
26 Sep - 1 Oct 2007 Building of Azimio group tank in Makaa (seventh tank in the project; fourth partially funded by a group).
17 - 25 Sept 2007 Building of Amani group tank building in Makaa (sixth tank in the project).
13 -14 Sept 2007 Third group of farmers took part in AVRDC (World Vegetable Centre) two-day horticultural training. These were Amani and Azimio groups (13 women and 11 men). Now 56 farmers, 34 women and 22 men have taken part in the two day course in AVRDC.
31 Aug - 1 Sept 2007 Four groups (Kuringe, Maendeleo, Upendo and Mchaka Mchaka) established seedbeds for seeds that need pre-growing before transplanting to the drip irrigated kitchen garden. One member of each group has already a tank. These farms will function as demonstration/training farms for on-farm crop training. Seeds obtained from the AVRDC were used.
23 -24 Aug 2007 Second group of farmers took part in AVRDC (World Vegetable Centre) two-day horticultural training. These were Mchaka Mchaka group from Makaa village and Upendo group from Kilototoni (11 women, 4 men).
24 July-3 Aug 2007 Gutters were built for three water tanks (in Matala, Kilototoni and Makaa) by head fundi John Maina Ngunjiri from Nyahururu, Kenya and students (Matala and Makaa two students in both, Kilototoni is still without a trained gutter fundi). This was a second round of training in guttering for the students. Afterwards students will work as independent gutter fundis in their respective villages.
19-20 July 2007 AVRDC, The World Vegetable Centre in Tengeru close to Arusha offered free horticultural training to farmer groups that work with us. The first farmer groups (Kuringe group 13 members and 3 wives, and Maendeleo group 4 members and one wife... 10 women, 8 men in total) were trained on this two day course on the 19th and 20th of July. Forty more farmers will be trained later. Horticultural training in this project is primarily aimed at women. If a group member is a man, he is asked to come to the training with his wife. On-farm hands-on horticultural training will follow with drip irrigation training added.
10-19 July 2007 Building of the second partially funded tank within a farmer group, Mchaka Mchaka, in Makaa village.
18 - 27 June 2007 Building of the first partially funded tank. A farmer group Upendo in Kilototoni saved 40% of the value of the tank and the project the remaining 60%. This is a major milestone for the project as it demonstrates that rural communities are willing and able to adopt rainwater harvesting even if it requires considerable investments.
4-10 June 2007 Building of the third demonstration tank. This third tank was built to a farmer group (Kuringe) member in Matala village. Two fundi students participated in tank building training.
22 of May 2007 A group, Kuringe, has formed in Matala village as well. The group presented its draft constitution and work plan for the project consultants for discussion and corrections. That means that the project now works in three villages, Makaa, Kilototoni and Matala. These are the groups that work with the project: Upendo and Maendeleo groups in Kilototoni; Mchaka Mchaka, Amani and Azimio in Makaa; and Kuringe group in Matala, that is six groups altogether.
Second demonstration tank was built between 2nd and 12th of April. This tank was built to a farmer group (Maendeleo) member in Kilototoni. Gutters were built 16-21 of April. Two fundis participated in tank building training and one part time in gutter building training.
8th of March 2007 First water tank completed in Makaa village at Nanga Primary School. The community as a whole contributed sand, gravel and poles. Gutter building started on the 12th of March. Two fundi students participated in hands-on building training.
Between the first and second committee meeting, six groups/emerging groups have contacted the committees and expressed their interest to work with us. Many of them have already collected money for rainwater harvesting structures and either started or completed collecting sand, gravel and poles to their first selected building site.
22 January 2007 Fundi training was announced. Committees, village chairpersons and two project personnel have selected candidates for training in Makaa and Kilototoni (Makuyuni and Matala lagged behind the schedule). Selected candidates' names were announced on the 19th of February.
16th-19th Jan Village rainwater harvesting committees meet for the first time. Agenda: Fundi training application procedure, demonstration tank site, accommodation of two fundi teachers from Makanya, where/how to get sand, stones and water for the tank building.
Second set of village meetings: Makaa 4th Jan, Makuyuni 5th Jan, Kilototoni 6th Jan and Matala 9th Jan. These meetings were arranged to give an opportunity for those who visited Makanya to give accounts of what was learned on the study tour. Procedures for the selection of candidates for the tank building training, and the location of the first demonstration tank built by trainees and their instructors, were agreed on. At the end a village rainwater harvesting committee of three women and three men was selected to finalise the plans and implement them. The committee will also work as a link between the project advisors and the existing groups or emerging groups till the project moves to work solely with groups. Read Ric Coe's observations on one of the meetings...
4 December 2006 Eight farmers (four women and four men) from each four pilot villages participated on a study tour to Makanya (project site of RELMA-in-ICRAF and Sokoine University of Agriculture) to see different kinds of rainwater harvesting tanks, a dam, to meet tank builders, and to meet with a rainwater harvesting group from Bangalala to talk about collective action in general, saving, getting credit, rules required to operate efficiently within a group etc.
Awareness raising village meetings held in four villages: 22 November in Kilototoni, 23 November in Makaa, 24 November in Makuyuni, and 28 November in Matala. Despite of heavy unexpected rains and muddy roads, about 50 people gathered together in each village to listen to our presentations on rainwater harvesting. In all villages except in Matala, the majority (2/3 - 3/4) were women. In Matala the ratio was the opposite. We were received with warmth and with great interest in the subject. The meetings lasted approximately three hours, but no one was in a hurry to finish, and a lot of questions were asked at the end of each meeting. Finally villagers recommended and selected eight people (four men, four women) amongst the ones attending the meeting to travel to Makanya where RELMA-in-ICRAF and Sokoine University of Agriculture together with village groups have started rainwater harvesting in 2004.
Focal villages selected.
7.10. 2006 Project started! First planning meeting for work plans arranged.

Project concept and links to technical info