For years, Nehemia Wilson Kutosha viewed trees growing in his farm as potential competitors to his crops, taking up valuable space and casting shade where he wanted his maize and other crops to flourish.
The 60-year-old farmer from Makondai Village was initially sceptical about Kisiki Hai, a tree regeneration approach that encourages farmers to protect and manage trees growing naturally from existing stumps and root systems rather than cutting them down or planting new seedlings.
His concerns were familiar to many smallholder farmers who must balance the need for trees with the immediate demands of food production and household income.
But training and practical demonstrations gradually changed his perspective.
Today, Kutosha understands that trees do not necessarily have to be removed to make room for crops. Through selective pruning and proper management, farmers can retain useful trees while limiting excessive shade and competition.
His experience illustrates the central promise of Kisiki Hai: restoring degraded landscapes does not have to come at the expense of farming livelihoods. When managed well, trees can become productive assets that support soil conservation, household energy needs and agricultural resilience.
Across Tanzania, that principle is now being taken to more communities as LEAD Foundation and Justdiggit advance the second phase of the Kisiki Hai programme, building on a restoration effort that has regenerated more than 32.3 million trees.
The programme has reached more than 100,000 farmers, including over 3,000 champion farmers who help train and mobilise other community members. More than 100,000 hectares are reported to be under restoration, with a long-term ambition to restore one million hectares by 2030.
Beyond the numbers, the programme's impact is increasingly visible in the decisions farmers make about their land, the resources they obtain from regenerated trees and their understanding of the relationship between agriculture and the environment.
From scepticism to stewardship
For Kutosha, the change began with learning how to distinguish between trees that could be managed alongside crops and those that might require different treatment.
Under the Kisiki Hai approach, farmers identify promising trees and manage their growth through selective pruning. Rather than allowing multiple shoots to compete for space and resources, they retain selected stems and periodically remove excess growth.
The technique offers an alternative to clearing trees indiscriminately, while giving farmers greater control over how vegetation develops on their land.
It also helps communities recognise the value of indigenous species, including trees with medicinal uses, which might otherwise be lost through routine clearing.
Kutosha's experience reflects a broader challenge facing restoration initiatives: convincing farmers to invest time in environmental conservation when their immediate priorities include feeding families and earning an income.
For such programmes to endure, restoration must deliver practical benefits at household level.
That is where farmers such as Mwamini Kutosha, 50, come in.
A Kisiki Hai champion farmer from Makondai, she received training in 2018 and has since incorporated tree management into her farming practices.
She has observed improvements in soil fertility and crop performance, particularly in maize and sunflower production. She also points to the importance of retaining trees and protecting the soil and water resources on which farming depends.
The regenerated trees provide another benefit: access to firewood and charcoal, resources that households need for cooking and other domestic purposes.
For families in rural communities, these benefits can make the difference between seeing trees as obstacles to cultivation and recognising them as part of a productive farming system.
The experience of farmers in Makondai demonstrates why community participation is central to restoration. The trees may regenerate naturally, but their survival and long-term value depend on people choosing to protect and manage them.
Twelve acres of opportunity
For Lucas Chipang'a, a resident of Punga hamlet in Makondai, the value of Kisiki Hai is reflected in the trees he has nurtured across a plot of about 12 acres.
After receiving training in 2018, he began applying the approach to regenerate and manage trees on his land.
Over the years, the trees have become a source of useful materials, including firewood, charcoal, timber and branches for fencing. The land also serves different purposes, with areas allocated to crops and cattle grazing.
His experience shows how natural regeneration can turn previously underappreciated tree stumps and shoots into a resource that provides benefits over time.
Rather than relying exclusively on newly planted seedlings, the method works with trees already capable of regrowing from existing root systems. This allows farmers to build on vegetation that is already present, provided it is protected and managed appropriately.
For Chipang'a, the value extends beyond what his own household can obtain from the trees. Locally available tree resources can also help reduce pressure on forests elsewhere by meeting some household and construction needs within farming areas.
However, the approach requires continued management and protection. Farmers must prevent damage to young shoots, prune trees appropriately and balance tree growth with other land uses.
These practical considerations underline a central lesson from Makondai: restoration is not simply about increasing tree numbers. It is also about helping communities maintain trees in ways that make economic and environmental sense.
A national restoration effort
The progress reported by LEAD Foundation and Justdiggit points to the potential of community-led restoration to reach beyond individual farms.
With more than 32.3 million trees regenerated and over 100,000 farmers reached, Kisiki Hai is seeking to demonstrate how relatively simple land-management practices can contribute to wider environmental recovery.
The programme operates in regions including Dodoma, Singida, Arusha and Manyara, where local communities are being encouraged to protect naturally regenerating trees and incorporate them into their farming systems.
Champion farmers play a particularly important role. By demonstrating the techniques on their own farms and sharing their experiences with neighbours, they help translate training into practices that other farmers can adopt.
This community-based model also makes local knowledge important. Farmers understand their land, crops, livestock and household needs, while training can help them make informed decisions about which trees to retain, how to prune them and how to protect new growth.
The programme's second phase is intended to build on this foundation and expand the restoration effort towards the target of one million hectares by 2030.
Timoth Mande, Senior Forestry Officer from the Vice-President’s Office (Environment), launched the second phase, reinforcing the importance of linking community-level action with broader environmental restoration priorities.
For the programme to achieve its longer-term ambitions, however, sustained participation, technical support and evidence of lasting results will remain important.
Tree regeneration takes time, and the benefits vary according to local conditions, species, rainfall, soil characteristics and how trees are managed. Measuring progress therefore requires more than counting trees: it also means assessing their survival, growth and contribution to healthier landscapes and livelihoods.
Carbon markets: an opportunity, not yet a revenue stream
As restoration initiatives gain attention internationally, carbon markets are emerging as a possible future source of finance for programmes such as Kisiki Hai.
The idea is that verified increases in carbon stored in trees and other vegetation could potentially generate carbon credits that are purchased by companies seeking to compensate for emissions.
For farming communities, such arrangements could eventually create an additional financial incentive to protect and regenerate trees. But participation in carbon markets requires scientific measurement, independent verification and compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
Njamas Chiwanga, programme director, has identified carbon markets as an area of interest as the restoration initiative develops.
Discussions with companies are under way, but Kisiki Hai does not yet have an operational carbon project generating revenue from carbon credits. Any future project would need to establish how much carbon is being stored, demonstrate credible restoration outcomes and meet the requirements governing carbon-credit issuance.
That distinction is important for farmers and communities who might otherwise expect immediate payments from tree regeneration.
For now, the programme's benefits are grounded primarily in the value of trees themselves: improved soil protection, potential gains in agricultural productivity, access to household energy and construction materials, and the wider environmental services provided by restored landscapes.
Mary Sengelela, Justdiggit's Tanzania resident manager, has highlighted the importance of identifying suitable communities and working with champion farmers to strengthen local participation.
The use of digital tools, including the Kijani application, also forms part of efforts to support restoration activities and document progress. Reliable monitoring will be important not only for programme management but also if carbon finance becomes a viable option in the future.
Protecting soil, water and future harvests
The benefits of tree regeneration extend beyond the trees themselves.
In farming areas exposed to soil degradation and water loss, vegetation can help protect the ground from erosion and contribute to better management of rainwater. When combined with appropriate soil and water conservation structures, tree regeneration can form part of a broader strategy to improve the resilience of agricultural land.
For farmers such as Mwamini Kutosha, the connection between trees, soil fertility and crop production gives restoration a direct relevance to everyday life.
The benefits are not automatic, and results depend on how trees are selected and managed. But the approach offers farmers a way to pursue environmental conservation without treating agriculture and trees as competing priorities.
It also encourages communities to reconsider the value of existing vegetation. A stump that might once have been cleared can, under the right conditions, produce new shoots and eventually become a useful tree.
That shift in thinking is at the heart of Kisiki Hai.
The programme's reported reach suggests that the idea is gaining traction, but its long-term success will depend on whether farmers continue managing trees after training and whether the benefits remain meaningful to households.