Soil samples from the experimental sites were collected by NADO staff trained at Sokoine University and analysed by TARI for texture, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, iron, zinc, cation exchange capacity, bulk density and conductivity.

What came back

Use animal manure where it is available, combined with incorporating crop residues and cereal and legume rotations such as maize with common bean, to maintain and build soil organic matter. Plus agricultural lime.

The message farmers received

Forty per cent of the world's soil is already degraded. Healthier soil stores more carbon and produces more, and good soil holds water, which cushions a drought.

What a farmer can do: use manure and compost, rotate crops to balance nutrients, plant cover crops against erosion, practise agroforestry for shade and moisture, avoid burning fields so soil organisms survive, and use biochar to reduce soil acidity.

Biochar is charcoal made by burning crop residues with too little oxygen, a process called pyrolysis, which locks the carbon in rather than releasing it. It holds moisture in the soil, reduces acidity, cuts the need for industrial fertiliser and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

What you need

Crop residues such as maize or rice stalks, cobs and farm waste. A hoe or shovel, a bucket of water, and sacks. A metal kiln works faster but needs skill and costly equipment, which is why farmers were trained on the pit.

Method

Add a layer each time white ash appears on top, with no smoke escaping. When the pit is full and covered in white ash, sprinkle water gradually until the fire is out, cover with sacks and soil, and leave to cool. After three days the biochar is ready to use or to store.

Two cautions

Do not use eucalyptus, which can carry chemicals harmful to plants. And make sure the fire is fully out, to avoid starting a field or bush fire.

For tree farmers

Pruning residues make good raw material, and the biochar itself can be sold as a source of income.

The trials found that Leucaena, Sesbania and Gliricidia grow well alongside crops. Farmers practising agroforestry reported better soil, increased drought resilience, and improved food security and household income.

The practical advice

Start small, with a few trees at the field edges. Combine carefully, using trees and crops that support one another. Prune properly, to avoid too much shade. And join a group, to learn from other farmers and from specialists.

A baseline survey was produced and shared with 65 stakeholders, 50 farmer representatives and 15 local government extension officers, and it shaped the training that followed.

What was taught

Use of modern harvesting equipment: protective suit, boots, smoker, brush, hive tool and uncapping fork. Farmers were also introduced to the full range of bee products beyond honey, namely beeswax, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, bee venom and bee bread.

Why it earns its place

Beekeeping does four things at once. It protects forests, by giving an income that does not require cutting trees. It boosts pollination and so crop production. It works against climate change, because the trees stay standing and keep absorbing carbon. And it improves household income.

Working with 99 village fire management committee representatives, eight villages developed their own fire management and control bylaws, and 862 people were sensitised on them. The villages are Nyumba Nitu, Nyombo, Ihanzutwa, Iteni, Usuka, Lugoda, Sakalenga and Itunduma.

The message

Uncontrolled fire destroys forests, soil, water sources and biodiversity, worsens drought and adds greenhouse gases. Avoid lighting fires carelessly, especially in the dry season. Do not clear fields with uncontrolled fire, and do not burn crop residues. Use no-burn methods such as conservation agriculture instead, and turn residues into biochar and compost.

The campaign slogan

"Fire management is everyone's responsibility, to protect the environment and lives now and in the future."