The new ClimateSoilHealth project was launched in June 2024 in Arusha, Tanzania. The project will reach out to 2000 smallholders in Tanzania over the next three and a half years. The goal is to improve the institutional capacity on sustainable soil health restoration in Tanzania, to strengthen the adaptation and mitigation to climate change, thereby increasing food security.

About 33 participants attended the kick-off meeting in the beginning of June, that included researchers from TARI, stakeholders representing public and private institutions and ongoing projects relevant to soil health, and the NIBIO team. During the meeting, presentations were given by TARI on the project areas overview and ongoing soil management related projects by stakeholders and project work descriptions by NIBIO. An interactive group discussion was held on identifying and describing key soil health constraints, their causes, possible management solutions, and topics to be included in the soil health training modules.

Attendees visited a TARI-administered soil science laboratory and one of the project sites in the Babati district where they observed soil conditions and discussed with local farmers and agricultural officers. On the final day, a field visit was made to one of the project sites (Babati district, Manyara region) where an interactive discussion with the farmers and agriculture officers was held.

“It was interesting to observe the soils conditions in the farmers’ fields that are highly affected by salinity and sodicity problems. These soils adversely affect the growth of most crop plants. The field sites are ideal places to establish demonstration plots for practical trainings on soil health management practices and set up a soil health living laboratory as a pilot case,” says Dr Nagouthu.

Reference link: CID newsletter #1 2024