How a climate-smart initiative revitalizes Tanzanian livestock farming

Tanzania – As the sun sets, its golden hues pierce the dusty haze of the Maasai steppe of northern Tanzania, creating a dazzling spectacle as cattle lazily wander across the arid landscape as they return home from grazing. Dressed in bright red robes, young Maasai shepherds routinely whistle as they guide cows, goats and sheep to maintain a unified path. The search for survival has forced these shepherds in Oldonyo Sambu, in the heart of the Maasai steppe, to compete for increasingly scarce water and pasture, while they try to sustain their flocks. Surprisingly, 670 kilometers from that steppe, in the Ikolongo village, southern Tanzania, the critical situation of water consumers has improved, thanks to a community initiative that brought together farmers and herders to solve their water problems. . Sitting in the shade of a baobab tree, Leinot Leboo, 47, watches his cattle drink water from a pond. This moment of tranquility contrasts sharply with the situation in Oldonyo Sambu, ...