APOPO HeroTREEs Syntropic Agroforestry Training in Morogoro and Arusha

APOPO is running two practical, three-day syntropic agroforestry training sessions this month, in Morogoro from 9 to 11 November and in Arusha from 12 to 14 November 2026. The training is part of the HEROTREES agreement that the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism (CFWT) at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) is implementing with APOPO, and anyone interested is encouraged to register.

What the training covers

Syntropic agroforestry combines food production with ecosystem restoration. It uses plant diversity, natural succession and active management to build farms that produce food and income while improving soil health and supporting biodiversity.

Each session opens with a day of theory, followed by two days of field practice that take participants from farm design to planting and long-term management. Topics include how plants support each other across vegetation layers, choosing and spacing complementary species, strategic pruning, mulching and continuous soil cover, and managing the system as the trees mature. Both sessions are open to farmers, students, agricultural professionals and organisations.

Morogoro: 9–11 November 2026

The Morogoro session is led by Hannes Thaler, CEO of Forests4Farming, who brings more than 20 years of agroforestry and farming experience from South America and Africa and draws on the principles developed by Ernst Götsch, the founder of syntropic agriculture. The training focuses on cashew and citrus combined with annual crops and plants that help regenerate the soil, and is hosted in partnership with My Birthday Tree Organisation (MBTO).

Arusha: 12–14 November 2026

The Arusha session is led by Thiong’o Gachie, a Kenyan regenerative agriculture specialist who has trained farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Namibia and Eswatini, together with Haji Khamis, APOPO’s syntropic agroforestry trainer. Participants will work with avocado, cashew and macadamia trees grown alongside vegetables and other crops that provide harvests while the trees develop, and will also discuss coffee, bananas and locally suitable support plants.

How to register

Registration and payment details are on the APOPO page for each session. Participants should bring comfortable field clothes, suitable footwear and working gear. For Morogoro, further location and transport details will be shared with registered participants.

Why it matters

The training is organised by APOPO HeroTREEs through its Syntropic Agroforestry Innovation Accelerator (SAIA), which connects farmers, universities, NGOs and agricultural professionals through training, demonstration farms, research and knowledge sharing. Under HEROTREES, SUA campuses are becoming places to learn and test these methods. The SUA Syntropic Living Lab in Morogoro, developed jointly by APOPO and SUA, supports demonstration, practical learning and long-term research, and students have used it to learn how syntropic systems work. Five SUA students have also studied soils and cover crops at APOPO’s demonstration sites in Tanzania.

Acknowledgements

CFWT thanks APOPO HeroTREEs, My Birthday Tree Organisation (MBTO) and the trainers for making these sessions possible, and encourages students, staff and partners interested in syntropic agroforestry to take part.