International Day of Zero Waste 2026; Turning Food Waste into Climate Action in Njombe
Category:Agriculture,Climate Action,EnvironmentToday, the world observes the International Day of Zero Waste, with the 2026 theme “Food Waste – Zero Waste Starts on Your Plate.” Co-led by UNEP and UN-Habitat, this year’s focus shines a spotlight on one of the most preventable drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion: the millions of tonnes of edible food that end up in landfills instead of nourishing people or closing resource loops.
At Southern Highlands Participatory Organisation (SHIPO), we don’t just mark the day, we live the solution. Through our completed IKI Small Grants project “Multi-Stakeholder Climate Action Plan in Njombe” (2022–2024) and the ongoing work of the newly registered Climate Action Njombe NGO, we are turning food and organic waste into opportunity in Tanzania’s Southern Highlands.
From Awareness to Action: What We Delivered
Over two years, SHIPO brought together local government, schools, farmers, artisans, industry leaders, and civil society in Njombe Town and Njombe Rural District Council. Together we:
- Developed and secured signatures on the Njombe Climate Action Plan; a locally owned roadmap for mitigation and adaptation.
- Trained over 1,000 community members through events, school programmes, and stakeholder workshops.
- Implemented practical pilot projects that directly tackle food waste and climate impacts:
- Black Soldier Fly (BSF) insect farming; converting organic and food waste into high-protein animal feed and natural fertilizer, reducing landfill methane while boosting local agriculture.
- A Zero-waste office demonstrating circular practices.
- A regenerative demonstration plot using raised-bed gardening and other practices to restore soil health, conserve water, and increase productivity.
- An integrated pigsty–fishpond system with solar-powered nutrient recycling, and;
- Community clean-ups of informal dumping sites to improve hygiene and raise awareness.
These pilots show that zero-waste solutions are not only possible in Tanzania, they are already delivering measurable benefits: healthier soils, lower emissions, new income streams for farmers, and stronger climate resilience in a region heavily dependent on agriculture.
We’re Not Stopping Here
The project may have officially closed in August 2024, but the momentum continues. Climate Action Njombe is now an independent NGO, in partnership with SHIPO, carrying forward the Climate Action Plan, while SHIPO as it celebrates 25 years of community service in 2026 keeps embedding waste-to-resource thinking across our water, sanitation, education, agriculture, and entrepreneurship programmes.
Partner With Us
We are proud of what we have achieved with the generous support of IKI Small Grants and our local stakeholders. But the job is far from finished. Food waste remains a daily challenge across Tanzania, and scalable, locally led solutions need sustained funding, technical exchange, and new partnerships.
If you are a donor, foundation, corporate partner, or fellow development organisation committed to circular economy, climate resilience, and community-driven development, we invite you to collaborate. Whether through co-funding the next phase of Climate Action Njombe’s zero-waste pilots, knowledge-sharing visits, or scaling regenerative agriculture models, your support will multiply impact for thousands more families in Njombe and beyond.
Contact us today via these options to explore partnership opportunities.
Together, let’s make sure no good food goes to waste, and that every plate contributes to a greener, more resilient future.
