Project update || 2024

An update from the field…

With the help of your fantastic support, the Regreening Singida Programme has made remarkable progress throughout the reporting period!

Let’s get to the most important results first. The programme is currently divided into four clusters: Cluster A, Cluster B, Cluster C and Cluster D. We’re thrilled to report that, by July 2024, a total of 6,775,575 trees have been restored, and over 46,119 metres of Fanya Juu trenches have been dug. And that’s not all: 67,323 households across 166 villages have been trained so far!

This progress is driven by a range of activities, including movie roadshows, ward events, and continuous coaching and mentorship provided by District Coordinators. Supportive supervision through field visits is actively taking place across Clusters A, B, and C, offering valuable insights into the ongoing progress in line with the programme’s goals.

Overall, the Regreening Singida Programme is making significant headway in advancing tree restoration and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Central Tanzania.

Cluster B

Starting in May, we’ve made significant progress towards the goal of restoring at least 8 million trees in Cluster B. As of July 2024, the programme has already restored 2,189,713 trees, and over 26,345 metres of Fanya Juu trenches have been dug!

Here is a convenient overview of our activities to get you up to speed on the progress we’ve made in Cluster B of the Singida programme.

Weather conditions

It’s the dry season of the year again. During the overall reporting period, the weather has been favourable. The programme areas didn’t receive any rains and the trees continued nourishing. 

Over 2.1 million trees restored

As all of our projects are community-led, we continue to involve more and more households for a sustainable regreening of the area. We were able to train 30,354 households here. These households have been reached by the programmes champion farmers who train them and mentor them while raising Treecovery trees. The amount of trees brought back by these households in Cluster B totals up to 1,562,759!

Apart from individual households, we have visited 464 institutions and 103 village forest reserves. In total, institutions and village forest reserves have brought back 626,954 trees. 

These efforts have thus not been in vain, because all combined 2,189,713 trees were restored through Treecovery. 

Other highlights from the field

To get fully up to speed with all the developments in this cluster, here is a quick overview of other highlights for the reporting period:

• Training of Trainers: A comprehensive advanced training was provided to 296 champions from clusters B1 and B2. All participants expressed satisfaction with the training and committed to applying the learnings effectively in their work.
• Champion farmers coaching: A joint field visit by teams from LEAD and Justdiggit covered seven villages to assess the programme’s progress. The visits were successful, allowing the team to advise, learn from, and motivate both champion farmers and local leaders in advancing RSP efforts.
• Exchange visits and awards: Six villages were recognised for their support to the programme and dedication to setting aside communal land for Treecovery. Each village received awards worth 1,500,000 TZS (450 EUR), which were used to fulfil community needs like school desks, office renovations, and dispensary upgrades.

Figure 1: Good progress of Treecovery farms (1st and 2nd photo) and a well-dug fanya juu (3rd photo)

We keep spreading the word…

We distributed printed t-shirts to all champion farmers in this cluster to boost motivation, brand loyalty, and awareness in the community. Additionally, brochures and posters tailored for the local community were provided to all champion farmers in cluster B, offering a compact and effective way to share regreening knowledge and promote the brand.