Last weekend we took a trip with the Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT) to see first-hand the progress of the Simanjiro Grazing Easement Project.
For many years this strip of land situated just outside Tarangire National Park has been a crucial grazing area for both wildlife and local Maasai cattle, and is one of the main calving sites for the migration.
The pressure on the land resulted in the ‘Simanjiro Easement Agreement’ being established, with Terrat village as the original program, later extended to Sukuro village, and others being negotiated this year.
The communities here are typically agricultural pastoralists, yet they agreed to set aside an area of land that would be off limits for agricultural or permanent settlement, in return for annual donations made to the village.
These donations are then directed at projects that benefit the village as a whole. This year they are planning on using their village easement payment to invest in better maternity facilities and care for women and children in the community.