Africa RISING - Integrated Livestock and Crop Management (shelterbelt)

Sustained livestock productivity in semiarid central Tanzania is limited by availability of quality feeds of sufficient amount, especially during the off season. High scarcity of fuelwood for cooking energy is another developmental challenge in the area. Limited energy can adversely affect soil fertility as farmers use crop residues and/or manure as a source of energy. to address these developmental challenges and build resilience of farming systems, Africa RISING is screening local species for fodder quality and introducing fast growing N-rich fodder trees/shrubs in various niches (contour bunds, woodlots, shelterbelts) on-farm to supply supplementary high quality fodder and other benefits like fuelwood, erosion control and soil fertility improvement. Local browse tree species have been screened for fodder quality and best species identified in a recently published journal article. Additional data is being collected to estimate fodder and fuelwood production from planted tree species on-farm.