Mid-year Update

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we reach the midpoint of 2025, I want to thank you for your steadfast support—and share what your partnership has made possible. Despite growing challenges in nonprofit funding, this has been a year of real and visible progress at Savannas Forever Tanzania.

Thanks to your generosity, we’ve secured new funding from the UNDP, the Margaret Cargill Foundation, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder and Tim Caro, Drs. Mary and Brian Kemen, Tom Eckstein and Diane Harding, and Craig Packer. We are also developing a new partnership with the University of Minnesota that we hope will further strengthen our momentum.

This support is transforming lives and landscapes through our Native Seed Initiative:

• 79 seed champions have successfully reseeded their alalili (private pastures), planting between ¼ to ½ acre each.

• New seed mixes were introduced this year:

  • ¼-acre plots: four native grasses + one native legume.

  • ½-acre plots: seven grasses + three legumes/forbs for improved soil and forage diversity.

• All plots were fenced to prevent early grazing—and are now fully secured.

The results have been most striking in Mswakini Juu and Loibor Siret, where restored grasslands are already producing native seeds and providing much-needed forage. The seed champions and their neighbors are excited by the results and have asked to expand their plots or join the project next year. The village leaders also want to reseed up to 15 acres of degraded communal rangelands.

To support our long-term success, we hired four village extension officers who visit each seed champion’s plot weekly to monitor plant growth, check fence conditions, and gather feedback on how we can further improve the project. This year, they have already started harvesting seeds from their alalili with yields up to 10 kg. per plot. The champions will soon harvest the the forage for their livestock.

We’ve also launched a new phase of ecological monitoring in collaboration with Dr. Bernard Kissui, PhD, Director of School for Field Studies -Tanzania. Using the pin-frame method, our staff—and graduate students from Sokoine University—are measuring changes in plant biodiversity across five 1m² plots within each alalili. These data will be compared with 2023-seeded plots, fenced-only areas, and untouched sites—creating a powerful baseline to guide future restoration efforts.

In other good news, we have officially received 501(c)(3) status for our U.S.-based international nonprofit, Savannas Forever International. This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our Chair, Tom Eckstein, who also covered legal fees and is now leading development of our new website to support outreach and fundraising.

Thank you for being part of this work. Your support is making a lasting difference across northern Tanzania—for people, livestock, and ecosystems alike. If you are considering renewing your support, now is a critical time to let us know, as we plan the next phase of growth.

With gratitude,

Susan James

Executive Director