Empowering Pastoralist Resilience: Women and Youth Lead Climate Adaptation in Simanjiro and Kiteto Districts

 

Across the sweeping plains of northern Tanzania, the pastoralist way of life has withstood centuries of environmental and socio-cultural change. The pastoralist communities of Simanjiro and Kiteto Districts in Manyara Region have long relied on livestock, land stewardship, and Indigenous knowledge systems to sustain their livelihoods. Yet, the escalating impacts of climate change manifested in prolonged

 droughts, erratic rainfall, intensifying heat waves, invasive species, and increasing livestock mortality now threaten the very foundations of this pastoralist heritage. Amid this crisis, the Pastoralist Women Climate Adaptation Project (PAWOCAP) emerges as a transformative initiative designed not only to respond to climate shocks but to strengthen the long-term resilience, agency, and adaptive capacity of pastoralist communities, with women and youth at the forefront.

Implemented by Pastoralists Indigenous NGOs Forum (PINGO’s Forum), a Tanzanian civil society organization with over 31 years of experience defending pastoralist rights with support from the Austrian Bilateral Climate Finance Program of the Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMLUK), in partnership with Welthaus Graz (Austria) and the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), the project introduces a holistic model of climate adaptation centered around sustainable livestock management, improved water access, indigenous tree restoration, climate governance, local capacity-building, and community-driven systems. In the sun-scorched rangelands of Simanjiro and Kiteto districts, a quiet but powerful transformation is already underway.

To fully understand the importance of PAWOCAP, it is essential to examine the environmental pressures that pastoralists in Simanjiro and Kiteto face today. Over the last decade, Manyara Region has witnessed an intensification of extreme weather events, including recurrent droughts lasting 6-12 months and unpredictable rainfall patterns, which lead to crop failures and reduced pasture regeneration. Furthermore, heat waves are causing livestock dehydration and reduced milk yield, while the expansion of invasive species, notably altalemeto and magugu karrot, outcompete native grasses. Finally, rising plant and livestock diseases, including Fall Armyworm, MLN, East Coast Fever, trypanosomiasis, and Foot and Mouth Disease, add to the crisis. These climate pressures dramatically reduce livestock productivity, deepen food insecurity, and heighten resource conflicts over water and grazing areas. Women, who traditionally shoulder the burdens of household water collection, childcare, and food provision, face disproportionate hardships as distances to water points increase and livestock losses reduce household income.

The baseline assessment further revealed significant socio-economic vulnerabilities. Between 70-80% of households are highly vulnerable to climate shocks, and women face 20% greater exclusion from land, livestock ownership, and decision-making. Water scarcity remains the most urgent and cross-cutting challenge, particularly in Kiteto, and livelihood diversity is low, with families depending entirely on pastoralism and small-scale farming. Although institutional systems, including local Disaster Committees, are present, they are often weak and under-resourced. Despite these vulnerabilities, communities hold extensive Indigenous knowledge such as rotational grazing, early warning based on natural signs, seasonal mobility patterns, and shared pasture governance that forms a strong foundation for adaptation when blended with scientific approaches.

Mr. Elias Nagol Consultant of Climate risk Assessment: When Empowering session at Partimbo village bin Kiteto District where community members gain essential knowledge on climate change dynamics and their profound effects on local ecosystems, equipping participants with practical tools for mitigation, adaptation, and stewardship to safeguard their environment for generations to come.

In April 2025, the project team conducted introductory and consultative meetings across all four target villages: Sukuro, Terrat, Namelok, and Partimbo. They held four large community meetings involving elders, women, youth, and village leadership, aligning project activities with local priorities, including livestock breed improvement (Sahiwal and Simmental cattle identified as preferred), water well construction, and grass and pasture restoration. The team successfully identified forty local coordinators per village, selected transparently, and strengthened relationships with District Executive Directors and District Commissioners. Community feedback emphasized the need for direct involvement in livestock selection, ensuring equitable distribution of project benefits, the importance of water access before the dry season peaks, and the necessity of integrating Indigenous grazing knowledge. The high level of enthusiasm and willingness to collaborate demonstrated strong local ownership, which is critical for long-term sustainability.

The cornerstone of PAWOCAP’s evidence-based approach was the comprehensive Climate Risk Assessment and Baseline Study completed in May 2025. The study used a gender-sensitive participatory approach, including 16 Focus Group Discussions across villages; Key Informant Interviews with village leaders, district officers, and indigenous knowledge holders; 176 household surveys (107 female respondents, 69 male respondents); and direct observation of grazing areas, water points, and degraded sites. Hazards identified included drought (the most frequent and severe hazard), flooding (occasionally destructive after heavy, unpredictable rains), heat waves (increased livestock deaths), invasive plant species (choking grazing fields), livestock diseases (worsened by poor access to veterinary services), and crop pests (especially Fall Armyworm destroying maize crops). The study found that pastoralist communities are highly exposed due to their direct reliance on natural resources, and that women are disproportionately affected by their roles in water and food provisioning. At the same time, youth face unemployment pressures and limited access to land. However, communities demonstrated strong adaptive capacity through strong social networks and rich Indigenous ecological knowledge, despite weak early warning systems, limited financial resources, and poor access to modern climate information. Based on these findings, the assessment recommended rehabilitating degraded areas through tree nurseries, investing in modern early warning systems, strengthening local disaster committees, improving access to veterinary services, and integrating climate adaptation into village land-use plans.

With a sharp focus on women and youth, PINGOs Forum has already delivered four foundational activities under the objective of enabling pastoralists in target villages across Simanjiro and Kiteto districts to engage in community-based climate-friendly agriculture and pastoralism practices that are tailored to the specific agro-ecological conditions and socio-economic community contexts:

• Comprehensive climate risk and vulnerability assessments were completed in all target villages of Simanjiro and Kiteto.
• Community and district-level validation workshops were held, with over 120 participants (including village leaders, women, traditional elders, and youth) reviewing and owning the findings.
• Four community-managed indigenous fruit tree nurseries and climate-resilient vegetable gardens established: tree nursery management committees (10 members each, majority women, and youth) fully trained and operational.
• Drought-resilient indigenous bull breeding program launched; bull management committees trained and ready to receive the first improved breeding bulls.

Communities are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of certified vegetable seeds and the selected drought-tolerant bull breeds, which will be distributed in the coming weeks. The newly trained tree nursery committees have already begun propagating indigenous and fruit tree seedlings. In contrast, the bull management committees have prepared traditional bomas (livestock enclosures) and agreed on mechanisms for community contributions to cover future veterinary costs a clear sign of local ownership and sustainability.

Dedicated tree nursery stewards proudly showcase their innovative, ongoing agricultural endeavors from sustainable cultivation techniques to integrated farming methods that fortify community livelihoods while actively mitigating climate change, weaving resilience and hope into every root and harvest for a greener tomorrow.

Restoring degraded grazing lands is central to climate adaptation. The project, therefore, established four indigenous tree nurseries on May 16, 2025, followed by the identification and training of tree nursery committees between May 17 and 24. They successfully trained 82 committee members (48 female, 32 male) and established tree nursery committees. The project integrated Indigenous knowledge on seed selection, water conservation, and nursery shading, and linked the nurseries to plans for restoring rangelands used for communal grazing and bull-breeding centers. This work lays environmental foundations for long-term resilience, as women gain new roles in environmental restoration, and nurseries provide seedlings for soil conservation, windbreaks, livestock shading, and future reforestation income.

A significant innovation under PAWOCAP is the improvement of livestock breeds through community-driven breeding centers. From July 30 to August 2, 2025, 40 participants were trained, including 25 women, 10 youth, and five elders. Topics included livestock disease management, modern vs. traditional breed characteristics, vaccination schedules, grazing rotation systems, breed improvement strategies, and record-keeping. Village-specific breeding plans were initiated: Namelok dedicated a 40-acre grazing area with a rotational grazing strategy and regular veterinary check-ups; Partimbo placed strong emphasis on secure enclosures, dedicated herders, and feed storage in anticipation of drought; Terrat focused on the creation of a two-acre boma, grass planting for bulls, and collective community protection mechanisms; and Sukuro established enclosures near water sources, staffing and management committees, and a contribution model of 30,000 TZS per cow for breeding services. These efforts are expected to increase milk production, improve drought resistance, increase household income, and reduce livestock mortality by 15-20%. The establishment of these centers also strengthens community governance and empowers women to participate in a sector previously dominated by men.

Additionally, PINGOs Forum has just concluded a series of intensive training sessions for local political leaders, village council members, and pastoralist representatives on Tanzania’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Over sixty participants, including ward councilors, village chairpersons, and community champions, are now equipped to translate national climate commitments into actionable village-level plans. From August 2-4, 2025, the project conducted further knowledge sessions on basic climate science, Tanzania’s national climate policies (National Climate Change Response Strategy (2021-2026), Nationally Determined Contributions (2025-2030), National Environmental Protection Policy), the causes and effects of global warming, adaptation strategies for pastoral communities, and sustainable natural resource governance. Key outcomes included 85% of participants improving their understanding, women requesting more policy-focused training, and youth demonstrating strong interest in climate data collection and early warning information. This training enhances climate literacy, a crucial skill for community-led adaptation planning.

“Pastoralists have protected these rangelands for generations using our own knowledge,” said Gideon Sanago, Climate Change Coordinator at PINGOs Forum. “This project finally gives us the tools and the platform to combine that Indigenous wisdom with modern climate science. The assessments are done, committees are trained, and the communities are ready   now we need the seeds and the bulls to arrive so the real work of restoration and resilience can begin.”

Once the vegetable seeds and improved bulls are delivered before the short rains, the project will move quickly into full implementation of climate-smart livestock breeding, women-led agroforestry, and community-based rangeland restoration proving that when pastoralist women and youth lead, resilience follows.

The Pastoralist Women Climate Adaptation Project (PAWOCAP) stands as a powerful example of community-owned, gender-responsive, and knowledge-driven climate action. With its integrated approach combining livestock resilience, water improvement, ecosystem restoration, climate literacy, and governance strengthening-the project is laying solid foundations for long-term adaptation in northern Tanzania. Beyond the immediate outputs, the project is shifting mindsets: women gaining confidence in leadership, youth embracing climate knowledge, and communities collectively crafting solutions rooted in both tradition and innovation. As implementation progresses, PAWOCAP is poised to become a model of transformative climate resilience not only for Simanjiro and Kiteto but for pastoralist systems across East Africa.