Sustainable Livelihoods and Enterprise Development

Forests cannot be protected if local people are struggling to survive. We support the development of sustainable, forest-friendly enterprises that generate income while conserving critical resources. We work with communities on beekeeping, butterfly farming, conservation agriculture, and sustainable charcoal production, generating over $500,000 in 30 villages, funding local schools, water infrastructure, and other priorities.

Economic empowerment is also a form of social empowerment. Women and youth are at the forefront of many of these enterprises, supported through targeted training, mentorship, and participation in village savings and loans associations (VSLAs). These efforts have created new livelihood options while reducing the need for illegal logging or destructive practices.

Capacity building also plays a key role here. We train community members in market access, business development, and climate-smart practices to ensure enterprises are viable and resilient. We also integrate gender inclusion and social safeguards across all our programs.

In Kilosa District, what began as a livelihood abandoned by men became a story of women’s leadership and ecological innovation. We trained 30 villages—including a dynamic group of women—in sustainable charcoal production, equipping them with efficient kilns, legal harvesting techniques, and market access.

Between 2013 and 2018, these villages produced over 6,490 tons of climate-smart charcoal and earned more than $562,000, funds that supported not just households but local schools, health services, and water projects. As profits grew, so did women’s confidence: many entered public leadership, some becoming Ward Councillors and village chairpersons. Kilosa’s sustainable charcoal initiative has become a national model, showing that green energy, forest protection, and women’s empowerment can go hand in hand.