Building climate resilience in the landscapes of Kigoma region, Tanzania

The project aims to build climate resilience for approximately 1.28 million people in Tanzania's Kigoma region, specifically targeting refugees in the Nduta and Nyarugusu camps and their host communities. It employs an integrated landscape approach to address environmental degradation, food insecurity, and water scarcity caused by rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. Key interventions include participatory climate-resilient land-use planning, the establishment of 30,000 hectares of Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) reserves, 12,000 hectares of agroforestry and afforestation, and the construction of flood and erosion control infrastructure. To improve livelihoods, the project provides climate-smart agricultural inputs, rainwater harvesting systems, and support for beekeeping and mushroom cultivation. The initiative is executed by the Government of Tanzania's Vice President's Office and UNHCR, with a total financing of USD 23.62 million.

• Kigoma region has experienced significant environmental degradation, losing approximately 108,000 hectares of tree cover (about 5.3%) between 2011 and 2018 due to climate impacts and development drivers.
• Climate variability has severely impacted food security in the region; farmers in Kigoma now harvest 40% to 53% less maize, a critical staple food, compared to previous levels.
• Temperature trends in the project areas show a statistically significant increase of approximately 0.16°C per decade from 1983 to 2016.
• Rainfall in Kigoma has become increasingly variable since 2000, with an increase in the frequency and intensity of large magnitude flood events by 7.6% for 1:10-year events and 7% for 1:100-year events.
• The project targets a total of 1,281,857 beneficiaries, comprising 570,341 direct and 711,516 indirect beneficiaries.
• The project will protect and strengthen 42,000 hectares of forest ecosystems, including 30,000 hectares under Community Based Forest Management (CBFM), 10,000 hectares of agroforestry, and 2,000 hectares of afforestation.
• To mitigate flood risks in densely populated refugee camps, the project will construct 10 km of stone-pitched drainage channels, 16 stone-filled gabions, and various Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) interventions.
• Water security will be improved through the construction of 94 check dams, 20 charco dams, 120 unlined water-pans, and 120 lined micro-ponds, supported by 50 solar and 172 treadle pumps.
• The project will distribute climate-resilient planting materials to 15,000 farmers, with at least 60% of these inputs procured and distributed through Savings Associations (SAs).
• Livelihood diversification efforts include providing equipment and training for beekeeping to 850 people and mushroom cultivation facilities for 500 people.
• The project expects significant mitigation co-benefits, estimating a sequestration of 762,073 million tCO2e and emission reductions of 3.2 million tCO2e over 20 years.
• The total financing for the project is USD 23,618,646, consisting of a USD 19,007,353 grant from the GCF and USD 4,611,293 in in-kind co-financing from UNHCR.

APA

Green Climate Fund (2023). Building climate resilience in the landscapes of Kigoma region, Tanzania. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp218-unep-tanzania_1.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Building climate resilience in the landscapes of Kigoma region, Tanzania. 2023. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp218-unep-tanzania_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Building climate resilience in the landscapes of Kigoma region, Tanzania |date=24 November 2023 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp218-unep-tanzania_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2023building, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Building climate resilience in the landscapes of Kigoma region, Tanzania}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/fp218-unep-tanzania_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }