Indigenous knowledge, agroforestry and women's empowerment in rural Tanzania

While working with the Peace Corps in rural Tanzania, we did a lot of work with farmers. We talked a lot about indigenous knowledge, agroforestry, HIV/AIDS and women's empowerment. All of these topics are intrinsically tied together and also constitute a great way to relieve many issues in sub-Saharan Africa. 

I working with native vegetation as well as plants and trees imported from other areas, there is great power in reducing poverty, increasing nutritional food quality, empowering women, educating the public, increasing average daily incomes and a host of other benefits to families in rural Africa. As the pillars of the Tanzanian home, the role of women in the development of projects can not be over-emphasized. They gather food and seeds, feed the children, collect fuelwood and water and support most all other activities in the home. Many reports have shown the tie between educating and empowering women and the improvement in family health and prosperity. Lives improve when women and mothers are educated.  In one of the projects I conducted in the village I lived in in Tanzania, we discussed agroforestry, the role of indigenous knowledge in maintaining health as well as the monetary benefits of using local natural resources in a "sustainable" way. These weren't the only issues covered, but some of the more supported and desired issues as Tanzanians saw it. We introduced some new plants and trees as well as encouraged the collection of plants and seeds of native flora. Additionally, we made a list of well over 70 species of trees in the village as well as their corresponding uses. The list was made in swahili and also in the local language when possible. I worked with men and women and on this project and collaborated with an NGO and a few indigenous knowledge experts to get this under way. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email written on behalf of a village friend saying that the propagation of plants and seeds in the village has continued since I left, and he would like to continue the project into other villages. He wants to expand the project to the men and women of 7 surrounding villages. The benefits of this are far reaching and include increasing biodiversity of local ecosystems,  relieving poverty, enabling people to use local plants when medicine is too expensive or far away, empowering women, improving the nutritional intake of families, helping those living with HIV/AIDS by increasing their nutritional intake and bringing that valuable benefit closer to home so as to preserve energy, and a myriad of other things. It has been studied and documented that people living in rural Tanzania are able to effectively manage their own lands well without the help of outside parties. Of course, there are challenges to this such as corruption, costs and marginalization, but the success stories are there and create a platform on which we can build. It is essential for Tanzanians to be the agent of change in their own communities and in their own unique ways. It is our job to support these ventures, both monetarily in the short term, and as fellow conservators, educators and human beings. Let's support these grassroots movements of visionary Tanzanians. This is my idea. To bring Tanzanians closer to solving Tanzanian problems through the use of agriculture, agroforestry, indigenous knowledge and women's empowerment. These methods are intertwined with the fabric of Tanzanian society and with the basic needs and hopes of many rural Tanzanian families and communities. Thank you, and let's make a difference.