KISHADE PROJECT

Summary

Climate change is a growing health, socio-economic, and environmental threat. In Tanzania, over 70% of the workforce relies on outdoor farm labor, placing millions at increasing risk of heat-related illness. Dehydration, fatigue, kidney injury, and cardiovascular strain are already affecting livelihoods, with long-term consequences. Most global heat-health models overlook how people experience heat in the environments they work in. On going research being conducted under KISHADE (Kisiki Hai Sustainable Heat Adaptation Development) fills that gap.

KISHADE investigates whether trees on farms, restored through the indigenous Kisiki Hai method (Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, FMNR), can reduce heat stress and safeguard human health.

t is the most comprehensive study of its kind in Tanzania, and among the first globally, to combine biometric data, microclimate mapping, and community-driven research to explore nature-based heat adaptation. Led by LEAD Foundation, with support from international and national partners, the project builds on a proven track record:

➡ 23 million native trees regenerated

➡ 260,000+ households engaged

➡ 635 villages

Now, the question is: how can trees mitigate the health risks of climate change?

KISHADE is active in four districts of the Dodoma Region, using a quasi-experimental design to compare health and environmental outcomes across matched tree-covered and non-tree sites. Key elements:

• Biometric monitoring of farmers (markers of physiological heat strain, cardiovascular strain, dehydration and kidney injury)
• Fine-scale microclimate mapping and monitoring of temperature, relative humidity, wind, etc. with drones, loggers, and sensors
• Ethnographic fieldwork in eight Villages to capture lived experience and adaptation practices: using participant observation, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions
• Remote sensing for landscape-scale analysis on vegetation and tree cover

What we are seeing already

• Farmers report thermal comfort and reduced heat exhaustion under tree cover, affirming the perceived benefits of natural shade for outdoor work​.
• Microclimate mapping is underway, with detailed data being collected using sensors on farms enrolled in the intervention and those not enrolled.
• Collection of physiological and environmental data is ongoing: participants are monitoring devices that collect continuous data and generating rare, real-time physiological and environmental data.
• Access to drinking water remains a challenge, reinforcing the need to integrate tree-based shade with other solutions.
• Community engagement is strong: local advisory boards and interviews with community members and leaders confirm high demand for practical, low-cost regreening strategies like FMNR.

Duration and Status

Five years from 2023 to 2028
The project is successfully ongoing

Partners

The KISHADE Project is implemented in collaboration with Metameta, University of Dodoma, University of Dar es Salaam, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medine, Muhimbili National Hospital and funded by Wellcome Trust