Context:
Despite of high livestock population, Monduli district is one of semi-arid districts characterized by severe drought affecting livestock productivity. In addition to heavy grazing pressure, the effect of climate change has adverse effect on rangeland health. Mtengeti et al. (2008) recommended that, because of poor availability and quality of natural pasture, high yielding fodder grasses have to be planted especially in dryland areas.
The pasture pilot project (hereunder refers as Rangeland Management project under CORDS) revealed that improved fodder grasses had relatively higher quality in terms of high protein contents, low fiber contents and better digestibility compared to natural forage sampled from continuous grazing land.
Up-scaling of improved pasture innovation in a wider area within selected villages of Monduli districts is imperative for enhancing the livelihoods of pastoral community. Improved pasture will not only serve for environmental conservation but also will conserve biodiversity; increased livestock feed which in turn will increase milk production, improve meat quality and reduce pastoral mobility.

About the Proponent:

CORDS is a non-governmental organization registered in 1998 in Tanzania under the Society Ordinance Act, and re-registered in 2019 under NGO Act as amended June 2018. CORDS is based in Arusha, and continues to focus on the fundamental needs and challenges facing the pastoralists? communities, mostly the Maasai. CORDS works in the fields of natural resource management and tenure arrangements focusing on village land demarcations, land use planning, administration and rangeland management, poverty reduction and improving quality of services in pastoral communities in Tanzania. CORDS has competitive experiences in pasture restoration project in various district including Longido and Monduli that are potential for upscaling.

Project?s Primary Objective:

To improve pastoral livelihoods through enhanced land and ecosystem health and function by up-scaling the improved pasture production and management of grazing land at Emairete, Eluai and Emurua villages in Moduli District, Arusha region by May 2022.

Implementation Strategies:

? Awareness creation on importance of improved pastures among the target communities
? Conduct landscape restoration initiatives through enclosure management (differed grazing), Bush and invasive weeds management
? Establishment of Forages with high nutritive values
? Establishment of pasture farms and deferred grazing lands among individuals and communal lands
? Strengthening pastoral groups? capacity
? Application of Participatory Management practices