How carbon farming is creating new wealth for Tanzania’s smallholder farmers

DAR ES SALAAM: THE annual Nanenane International Agricultural Exhibition has long served as Tanzania’s premier showcase for agricultural innovation. Visitors explore improved crop varieties, advanced farming equipment, modern livestock breeds and technologies designed to boost productivity and strengthen food security. This year, however, one of the exhibition’s most significant innovations is not immediately visible.

Rather than focusing solely on higher crop yields, it highlights an emerging opportunity that combines environmental conservation with rural economic development through carbon farming. At the centre of this innovation is One-Acre Fund Tanzania, whose Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR) programme is introducing thousands of smallholder farmers to the growing global carbon market. The initiative demonstrates that trees can provide benefits beyond shade, timber and soil protection. Properly managed, they can also generate carbon credits, creating an additional source of income while contributing to global efforts to address climate change. Climate change continues to reshape agricultural production across Tanzania. Irregular rainfall, prolonged dry spells and rising temperatures are making farming increasingly unpredictable, threatening crop yields and household incomes. These challenges have heightened the need for climate-smart agricultural practices that not only ...