A new FAO-funded project is set to transform how farming communities in Southern Tanzania survive, and thrive, in the face of climate change.

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Poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation rarely arrive alone; they feed each other in a cycle that has trapped generations of farming families across rural Tanzania. Breaking that cycle demands more than goodwill. It demands the right partners, the right model, and serious, sustained investment.

That is exactly what is now on the ground in Ludewa District Council.

We are proud to announce our association with the official launch of “Creating Sustainable Climate Resilience and Improved Livelihoods of Farming Communities” — a landmark initiative led by our esteemed technical partner, Community Agribusiness Partner (CAP), and made possible through funding from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) via the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

“Together, we are poised to make a meaningful difference in the lives of many.”

What this initiative is built to do

At the heart of the program is the Forest Garden model, a proven, integrated approach that weaves tree cultivation into everyday farming. By combining agroforestry with climate-smart agricultural practices, it does something that conventional programs rarely manage: it restores the land while improving the livelihoods of the people who depend on it.

The initiative is built around four critical challenges that have long held back farmers across the region: access to agricultural inputs, access to capital, access to markets, and the mounting pressure of climate change. Each pillar of the program directly confronts one of these barriers, not in isolation, but as part of a coherent, systems-level strategy.

The result is an initiative that is, in the truest sense, transformative: one designed to foster inclusive farm forestry businesses, promote climate-resilient landscapes, and deliver lasting change for communities that have too often been overlooked.

Reach: five regions, one vision

This is not a pilot project confined to a single village. CAP’s program spans five regions across Tanzania’s Southern Highlands and beyond:

  • Njombe
  • Iringa
  • Ruvuma
  • Rukwa
  • Songwe

The geographic scope reflects the ambition of the vision and the urgency of the need. Across these regions, communities face overlapping vulnerabilities: erratic rainfall, soil degradation, thin margins, and limited access to the inputs and markets that could change their trajectory. This program meets them where they are.

Why this matters to us

At PADECO, we believe that sustainable development only works when communities are placed at the center. We do not associate with initiatives for optics. We associate with initiatives that are built to last, led by partners who are built to deliver.

CAP’s track record speaks for itself. Their expertise in agribusiness development and community mobilization, combined with the institutional backing of FAO, makes this initiative one of the most credible and well-structured programs currently operating in the region. We are honored to stand alongside them.

The road ahead is not without its challenges. But the foundation is solid, the model is proven, and the partners are committed. Ludewa is where this chapter begins, and we intend to watch it unfold with pride.