Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration(FMNR): Restoring Land and Livelihoods in Kasulu

A Project Summary

A completed project that harnessed the power of existing root systems to combat deforestation and poverty in Kasulu District.

For over 80% of Tanzania’s rural population, agriculture was the foundation of life. But in the Kasulu District, that foundation was crumbling. Rampant deforestation for charcoal, timber, and farmland expansion, combined with unsustainable farming and overgrazing, had led to a severe landscape crisis: depleted soils, eroded lands, and deepening food insecurity. Many smallholders had little knowledge of environmental protection or regenerative agriculture, and trees were continuously felled, creating a vicious cycle of degradation. For women and girls, this environmental decline posed a direct threat, forcing them to walk ever-greater distances for firewood, exposing them to risks of gender-based violence and wild animals.

The Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) Project offered a path forward, not just to halt this decline, but to reverse it. From 2019 to 2021, this initiative, funded by Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammnarbeit (SEZ) and International Aid Services (IAS) Germany e.V. One More Salary Tanzania, implemented a project empowered 150 smallholder farmers to become frontline restoration agents using one remarkably simple and cost-effective technique.

Harnessing the Underground Forest

Unlike conventional reforestation projects that focus on planting new seedlings, FMNR unlocked the hidden potential already lying beneath the soil. The World Agroforestry Center described FMNR in 2017 as a "fast, inexpensive, sustainable, and easy-to-use rehabilitation technique." The method rested on three core practices:

• Selection: Farmers identified and selected the most suitable tree stumps and shoots from indigenous species already present on their land.
• Pruning and Protection: They cut back unwanted shoots and protected the chosen ones from animals, fires, and competing vegetation.
• Ongoing Care: Occasional follow-up pruning ensured the strongest stems could thrive.

Because these stumps already possessed deep, established root systems, the regeneration was remarkably rapid. The trees, depending on the species, delivered multiple benefits even as they grew: increasing the organic layer of the soil to restore fertility, reducing erosion from water and wind, regulating soil temperature, and providing a sustainable supply of firewood, animal fodder, and even food.

From Awareness to Ownership: Key Activities

The project’s lasting impact was built on a clear sequence of activities that moved communities from awareness to mastery:

1. Public Awareness Events: The project began with community screenings of an FMNR film and reports from previous initiatives, awakening villagers to the possibility of restoring their land without expensive external inputs.

2. An Intensive Training: A week training courses taught smallholders the principles of FMNR, alongside the basics of sustainable agriculture and local product marketing to ensure both ecological and economic benefits.

3. Follow-Up Visits: A series of field visits brought project staff directly to the farmers’ lands to deepen the application of what was learned, troubleshoot challenges, and monitor successes in real time.

Measuring What Mattered

At the end of the project, impact was assessed against clear, observable criteria:

• Trained farmers possessed FMNR knowledge and skills that they were actively sharing with others, both inside and outside their communities.

• Joint agreements on tree and land management were established through community statutes.

• Systematic pruning and cultivation of native trees and shrubs were clearly visible during field inspections.

• A general increase in tree and shrub cover and biomass was evident throughout the landscape.

• First improvements in ecological functionality translated into tangible human well-being both economic and social.

An external evaluation at the project’s close verified these achievements.

A Lasting Legacy

The project’s design ensured its benefits would outlive its timeline. In consultation with local community development officers and agricultural officers, FMNR associations were established to guarantee the continuation of learned practices. One More Salary Tanzania committed to offering these associations ongoing advice and support beyond the project’s end, with financial backing from IAS Germany e.V. where necessary.

A Direct Contribution to Global Goals

This project was a direct, practical response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: promoting Zero Hunger (SDG 2) through improved food security, Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) through sustainable land use, and Life on Land (SDG 15) by protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems. By binding CO2 and creating a natural buffer against climate change phenomena drought, floods, and rising temperatures the regenerated trees strengthened the resilience of the entire community.

From a landscape of bare, degraded fields to one of renewed abundance this project proved that the most powerful solutions often lie hidden just beneath the surface.