Anna, The Rangeland’s Future Hope

Meet Anna, a rangeland guardian from Lolkisale Group in Monduli District, northern Tanzania a region struggling with widespread degradation caused by invasive plant species such as Ipomoea hildebrandtii, Tagetes minuta, Argemone spp., and Solanum spp.

When Anna married into a pastoralist family in 2021, she joined a household that relied entirely on grass harvesting as a livelihood. Her father-in-law owned a 6-hectare fenced plot, protected from livestock intrusion and managed with zero-grazing practices. However, despite his efforts, invasive plant species infestations were silently degrading the plot, drastically reducing the grass harvest.

That same year, Anna joined the Rangeland Guardian Group and received restoration training from Oikos. It was then she realized that, although her family was practicing some restoration techniques, they lacked awareness about invasive species. For Anna, this was a game-changing insight — and an opportunity.

Tragically, her father-in-law passed away, and  Anna took over the management of the land. Armed with her new knowledge, she began to remove all the invasive plants — especially Tagetes minuta and Solanum incanum. The results were clear:

“Last year, I harvested 180 bundles of grass — 23 more than in 2023. Each bundle sells for 3,000 TZS, and it’s all because I removed the invasive species.”

But Anna didn’t stop there. After harvesting all the mature perennial grasses, she allowed a neighbor’s bull to graze on the regrown pasture for a short period — in exchange for 360 kg of maize. By integrating controlled grazing and barter-based income, Anna transformed her 6-hectare inheritance into a thriving, sustainable business.

Today, she stands not only as a grass business owner, but as a restoration champion, proving that local knowledge and ecological training can turn traditional land use into a model of resilience.