The Shinyanga region in the north of Tanzania is occupied mainly by the agropastoral Sukuma people. The Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga (HASHI) project, which means “soil conservation” in Kiswahili, is a government initiative under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. It has been instrumental in reviving the Sukuma people’s traditional practice of conservation. Using indigenous knowledge, they are practising a natural resource management system called ngitili - a Sukuma word meaning enclosure. Traditionally ngitili were used to provide animal fodder for very young, old or sick an