ABOUT TARI UYOLE
The
TARI Uyole centre formerly called ARI Uyole was mandated to serve the Southern
Highlands Zone of Tanzania situated between latitude 7o to 9o
South and longitude 30o to 38o East. The centre headquarter offices are located at
1,798 masl. The centre has 11 sub stations distributed strategically basically
considering all agro-ecological conditions available in the zone which are Ndengo and Suluti (Ruvuma region), Igeri (Njombe region), Ismani and Seatondale (Iringa region), Mbimba (Songwe region), Mitalula (Mbeya region) and Milundikwa (Rukwa region).
The Sub stations were located in the important agro-ecological niches and farming systems
of the Southern Highlands.
The zone is very diverse in terms of topography, weather, soils and farming systems. The altitudes range from 400 to 3000 meters above sea level which has a direct influence on both climate and rainfall. The annual rainfall ranges from 600 mm (in some parts) to over 2600 mm in the mountains and along Lake Nyasa. The climate varies from tropical to temperate. Rainfall pattern is mono-modal, with the rain season starting in October/November through April/May. The zone is potentially a productive area for crops and livestock enterprises. The soils are well drained and generally fairly heavy but tend to be acidic with low to medium levels of nutrients and low organic content. However, most of the soils respond favorably to application of mineral fertilizers.