Vitongoji
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The project in Vitongoji is led by a driven community group under the leadership of Chema, a local woman who believes that trees will play an important role in the future development of her community. As an original participant in the project, Vitongoji records some of the highest growth rates due to the extremely rich soils found in this eastern community, with first generation trees standing well over 12 feet tall. Vitongoji is also one of the first communities to have their site surveyed and donated by the government to the community for rural-management. Under a legally binding Rural Community Management Plan, all local stakeholders in the area mapped out their region, recognizing the unique functions and necessity of a collective land-use plan for their community. Enforced by local-level government, no one is permitted to graze goats and cattle on the land designated for tree planting. By examining their resources, many community members began planning their futures with regards to the accessible natural resources, and all stakeholders agreed on the necessity of sustainable land-use practices.
As a sustainable forestry leader, Vitongoji has explored the possibility of integrating other food producing processes into their community forest. A form of agoforestry called alley cropping could be introduced in 2010, allowing the community to harvest beneficial yields as early as 4-5 months after planting. A majority of the trees planted on the Vitongoji site are a soil building variety called casuarinas, fixing nitrogen into the soil. In the future, Vitongoji will work to grow groundnuts, maize, millet, tomatoe and egg plant within the community forest site, and could potentially harness permaculture growing techniques to increase production. The site could serve as a test plot for the Pemba Community Forests project, helping to develop agroforestry practices and food production methods applicable to other communities around the island.
The population of Vitongoji is 5,900 (2,848 male and 3,052 women) with an average age of 15.2. Vitongoji is located in Chake Chake District.
