Feeding the Future, One Acre at a Time

In the dry zones of TingaTinga and Mawasiliano, West Kilimanjaro, where trees once stood tall and shade was abundant, the landscape had slowly thinned. Overuse of woodlands and relentless grazing left the soil bare and brittle. In Mawasiliano, the ground cracked and withered under the hooves of livestock, and what little forage grew was mostly unpalatable weeds.

Yet beneath the dust, life still waited.

The transformation began in 2023, when the Native PEP team partnered with local communities to restore hope and habitat. One acre of land in Mawasiliano was fenced and carefully sown with native grasses and legumes. By late 2024, the results were tangible: 35 hay bales of 20 kg each were harvested; each one a bundle of hope and a promise of sustainability.

But the true bounty wasn’t just in biomass. Fenced land began to heal. Weeds like Hypoestes species gave way to nutritious forage, and the soil seemed to breathe again. With hay prices doubling during the dry season, the community had not just feed—it had a climate buffer and a business opportunity.

And while new growth was taking root in the pasture, another quiet revolution was unfolding in the forests.

Instead of planting trees, the Native PEP team encouraged the communities to help the old ones return. In late 2024, local residents, elders, and forest experts embraced Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR); a low-cost, high-impact approach grounded in trust in nature’s own resilience.

Prepared by: Simon Njoroge