At Dreamnature in Tanzania, we work at the intersection of native tree domestication and community empowerment to tackle the viscous cycle of rural poverty and deforestation major threats to both ecosystems and livelihoods.

Our programs directly addresses rural poverty as one of the main underlying causes of the problem of deforestation and soil degradation. We conducted community appraisal survey in February 2022 in Kigoma region, Kibondo district west of Tanzania as well as Ulanga district of Morogoro region in the villages of Idunda, Chikuti, Ikungua, Igota and Kichangani in February 2025. The result was almost alike as both rural communities rely primarily on subsistence farming for their livelihoods. To meet their daily needs, they often cut down trees for fuelwood and clear forested land for crop cultivation. However, the removal of tree cover leads to a rapid decline in soil productivity, resulting in low agricultural yields and increasing food insecurity. In response, farmers are compelled to clear even more forested land, perpetuating a vicious cycle of deforestation that deepens poverty, degrades the environment, degrade soil healthy, causes loss of biodiversity, mal-nutrition and even water scarcity.

Deforestation has broader consequences: contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect and reduces the soil’s capacity to retain water, thereby increasing the risk of water shortages downstream. Rather than enhancing resilience to climate change, these short-term meager gains, make rural communities more vulnerable to its impacts. Among the most affected are rural women, who are primarily responsible for domestic and agricultural tasks, including collecting fuelwood and feeding their families, especially as many men and youths migrate to township in search of alternative job opportunities. There are various efforts have been undertaken to address these issues, including government initiatives, NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) engaged in raising awareness on poverty reduction, tree planting campaigns, environmental conservation, and sustainable agriculture. Though these initiatives rely on a single thematic outcome of either environmental protection or food production and sometimes often rely on the use of exotic tree species and agrochemicals for high yield and fast growth. 

Dreamnature’s initiatives take consideration on healthy soil, healthy people and a healthy environment as well as other biodiversity in the ecosystems, soil microbiology and pollinators. Indigenous knowledge is believed to guide farmers’ choices of tree species and management practices, shapes how they are integrated into farming systems, and helps sustain ecological and livelihood benefits across generations