At over 5,000 meters, Mount Kilimanjaro’s rounded, snow-capped peak is an iconic African symbol. The National Park’s forested slopes rise up to the peak, above the plains of northern Tanzania. Slightly lower down, at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 meters, farmers grow crops in the fertile soil: coffee, bananas, fodder trees, and grasses. Further down, at altitudes of 750-1,100 meters, where the slopes merge into the drier plains, farmers grow maize and beans and keep goats and dairy cattle. The soil is fertile, and the rainfall is relatively good for Tanzania—around 1,800 mm a year in the coffee-growing area and about 800 mm in the area planted with maize and beans. The area also has some of the highest population density in the country: 650 people/sq km in the coffee-growing area and 350 people/sq km in the maize and beans zone.2 Maize and bean farmers face increasing soil erosion and low productivity challenges. The majority keep cattle—normally one or two cows—for milk, manure, and to be sold for cash. Farmers also keep goats as a meat source and for sale. These animals are traditionally confined in a shed and fed with cut grass, banana leaves, and other vegetation. Finding enough fodder is a problem. After the maize and bean harvests, all crop residues are removed and used to feed the animals; hence gullies form on the bare soil during heavy rainfall. This prevents water from seeping into the soil, and impedes sufficient moisture from reaching the crops during dry spells. Instead, the water runs off, carrying valuable topsoil. The result is declining yields that leave farm families hungry and poorer