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Chololo Ecovillage – The Book

Village residents tell their story of how the ecovillage project has changed their lives.
Chololo Ecovillage

The Story of Chololo Ecovillage is now available as an illustrated 32 page booklet, in English and Kiswahili. Village residents tell their story of how the ecovillage project has changed their lives.

Background – how the project came about

Chololo Ecovillage is part of The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), an initiative of the European Union. The GCCA is a global alliance with a focus on helping the most vulnerable developing countries to more effectively address the challenges associated with climate change.Developing countries have contributed the least to green house gas emissions, but are often the most affected by climate change and have limited resources to address the challenges.

The National Climate Change Strategy in Tanzania has identified agriculture, water, energy and forestry as some of the most climate change-affected sectors. The situation is directly affecting the most vulnerable populations, often in the rural, remote, drought-prone and food-insecure areas of the country. Women in particular are sharing a great deal of the burden. The National Climate Change Strategy encourages initiatives to build critical mass of expertise to address adaptation challenges, while safeguarding precious natural resources and strengthening the country’s voice in the global climate change debate.

Chololo Ecovillage is one of three projects in Tanzania selected from a GCCA call for proposals, one in each of three types of ecosystems (coastal, drylands, and highlands) particularly vulnerable to climate change. The 32 month project launched in September 2011 and was completed in May 2014.The call for proposals aimed to increase the capacity of the most vulnerable communities to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change through sustainable use of their natural resources. Specifically, it called for an eco-village approach, where holistic, innovative and integrated approaches are tested, adopted and shared.

Chololo Ecovillage project was delivered by a partnership of six organisations, led by The Institute of Rural Development Planning (IRDP). The partners were Dodoma Municipal Council, Dodoma Environment Network (DONET), Hombolo Agricultural Research Institute, Maji na Maendeleo Dodoma (MAMADO) and Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM).The contracting authority is the Tanzanian Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs (European Development Fund).

Tanzania is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and adaptation is of highest priority. More than 80% of the population depends on climate sensitive rain fed agriculture for their livelihood. Hence reducing vulnerability to climate change through different mechanisms is crucial for strengthening socio- economic development and assurance of food security.

Chololo Ecovillage as an exemplary is empowering communities to test, evaluate and apply a wide range of adaptation innovations in key sectors such as agriculture, livestock, water, energy and forestry. The project provided practical solutions to the climate challenges as it worked across several sectors. Through a holistic approach the project achieved synergies and strengthened the knowledge base of good practice in climate change adaptation, while reducing carbon footprints.

Much of the progress that Chololo Ecovillage has made during the project has been recorded on weADAPT. Browse the links below to explore.

Chololo Ecovillage overview

Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis in central Tanzania

A Community Assessment of Climate Change Innovations in Chololo Ecovillage

Related resources

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