Tanzania Stories From The Field: Collaboration ensures gender is at the heart of development in Igunga, Tabora Region

Mbutu village, about ten kilometres from Igunga Town in Tabora Region has a population of over 5000 people, who rely mainly on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods so are therefore vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. However, since the beginning of the Igunga Eco-Village project, funded by the European Union, climate change adaptation activities have placed women at the heart of decision-making. The project ended in September 2019 but these activities are set to continue.

The GCCA Tanzania programme started with the first phase from 2011 to 2013, during which three community-level projects on climate change adaptation were funded: (i) Resilient Landscapes for Resilient Communities in Pemba;  (ii) Empowering Vulnerable Rural Communities to Adapt and Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Change in Central Tanzania; and (iii) Enhancing Climate change adaptation and mitigation capacities of vulnerable communities in eco-villages of different ecosystems of the Uluguru Mountains. All three projects used the eco-village approach to increase the climate change resilience of the target communities.

The second phase of GCCA Tanzania built on the first phase and sought to extend the eco-village approach. Through an open call for proposals with detailed guidelines, 5 projects were selected and funded, with implementation periods from 2015 to 2019. The IGUNGA eco-village was one of them. Located in a drought-prone area of Tabora Region,Tanzania, villagers continue to carry out an eco-village approach working closely with local district authorities.