If you want to understand agroforestry in Tanzania, start with ngitili. This Sukuma fodder-reserve system helped bring trees back to semi-arid Shinyanga, and it still shows how farmers can restore land themselves.
This page is part of our wider guide to agroforestry in africa.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Ngitili recorded at the start of the programme | About 611 hectares |
| Ngitili reported by 2005 | More than 378,000 hectares |
| Restoration estimate by the year 2000 | 300,000 to 500,000 hectares |
| Villages covered by that estimate | 833 villages |
| Average size of an individual ngitili (late-1990s survey) | 2.3 hectares |
These figures come from a summary of an ICRAF-authored book chapter and a 2010 Resurgence article by Edmund Barrow. Estimates differ by source and date and can change, so check the sources before you rely on them.
What ngitili is and why it matters
Ngitili is an enclosure system where farmers conserve or plant trees in grazing land. The trees then provide livestock feed and wood for energy and construction, according to the ICRAF-linked summary above.
The ICRAF-linked summary says the system alleviates dry season fodder shortages, helps prevent environmental degradation such as soil erosion, and helps conserve biodiversity.
It is a useful reminder that agroforestry can start with farmers conserving trees on their own grazing land, and that the area under such schemes can grow substantially.
Shinyanga: from “desert” to restored woodland
The semi-arid Shinyanga Region in central Tanzania used to be called the “Desert of Tanzania”, as the 2010 Resurgence piece puts it.
The same article says the region has over 2.25 million people and covers about 50,000 square kilometres.
In 1986 the Government of Tanzania started the Shinyanga Soil Conservation Programme, known by its Swahili name HASHI (Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga). It relied on ngitili as a tool for restoration rather than starting from scratch.
How much land was restored?
Reported numbers vary, so it helps to see them side by side:
- The ICRAF-linked summary says that around 611 hectares of such schemes existed at first, growing to more than 378,000 hectares by 2005.
- Barrow writes that by the year 2000, between 300,000 and 500,000 hectares of ngitili were restored in the 833 villages of the region.
- A detailed survey in the late 1990s of a sample of 172 villages found 18,607 ngitili covering about 78,122 hectares.
The survey shows who holds the land. Of those ngitili, 284 were group or village reserves and 18,039 were household or individual ones, with an average size of 164 hectares for group ngitili and 2.3 hectares for individual ones.
The ranges do not match exactly and the two restoration estimates refer to different dates. Treat them as the scale of a real recovery, not as one audited total.
What farmers gain from the trees
Barrow quotes a villager who says, “Trees gave birth to livestock”, because selling tree products let him buy animals. Other Sukuma agropastoralists point to several benefits:
- Restored woodlands provide fodder for oxen at the critical end of the dry season.
- Trees and catchment conservation improved water quality in the region.
- Revenue from tree products such as honey and poles pays for children’s schooling.
These are farmer accounts rather than controlled measurements. They still show what some Sukuma agropastoralists say they gain from restored woodland.
Beyond ngitili: what else to look at
Ngitili is one practice among several in Tanzanian agroforestry. This page covers only ngitili in detail, and results for any practice will depend on site, species and management.
This page quotes no yield figures for those practices, because none were checked against a source. If you need numbers for a particular district, look for trial reports from that district rather than averaging across regions.
The ICRAF-linked summary also frames ngitili within Land Degradation Neutrality, a target-setting programme under the 2030 Agenda that encourages countries to conserve, sustainably manage and restore land. It says the system alleviates dry season fodder shortages, prevents environmental degradation such as soil erosion, and helps conserve biodiversity.
For comparison with other countries, read about agroforestry in malawi and agroforestry in rwanda.
Who funded and shaped the programme
The Government of Tanzania was the major donor for the project, with additional funding from NORAD, the Norwegian development assistance agency, according to Barrow. He adds that the project relied on the rich local knowledge of the Sukuma people about their natural resources and ways of managing them.
Barrow also notes that before HASHI it was assumed that the only important woody biomass was in gazetted reserves, and even these were degraded. Village ngitili were therefore largely missing from the official picture of the region’s woodland.
On carbon, he writes that no assessment was made of below-ground sequestration, though this may constitute 50% of the above-ground biomass, so the estimates made are likely to be under- rather than over-estimates. Carbon figures from this region should be read with that caveat.
One daily benefit is simpler: a Sukuma woman quoted in the article says that in the past she spent between 2-4 hours collecting fuel, and now uses fuel-wood harvested from the family ngitili.
Lessons for restoration elsewhere
Three points stand out from the Shinyanga story:
- Count what already exists. Before HASHI it was assumed that the only important woody biomass was in gazetted reserves, so village ngitili were missing from the picture.
- Link trees to income and feed. Farmers report that fodder, honey and poles bring benefits from the trees.
- Measure honestly. Barrow notes that a carbon assessment of ngitili was only done “post-hoc”, well after restoration began, so early benefits were not counted.
The same ICRAF-linked summary argues that appropriate incentives, based on the role of trees in supplying ecosystem services, are needed to motivate farmers and landowners to favour agroforestry.
Frequently asked questions
What does ngitili mean?
Show answer
It is a Sukuma word for an enclosure or fodder reserve: an area of grazing land where trees and grass are protected, as described in the 2010 Resurgence article.
What was HASHI?
Show answer
HASHI is the Shinyanga Soil Conservation Programme, started by the Government of Tanzania in 1986 according to Barrow’s 2010 article. It built on ngitili.
How many hectares of ngitili were restored?
Show answer
Sources give different figures: more than 378,000 hectares by 2005 in the ICRAF-linked summary, and 300,000 to 500,000 hectares by 2000 in the Resurgence article.
Is this site connected to ICRAF or the Tanzanian government?
Show answer
No. This is an independent educational site and is not affiliated with any agency, research centre or organisation named.
