Site description
Physical geography of the Ifakara DSA
The Ifakara DSS (latitudes 8°00'–8°35'S, longitudes 35°58'–36°48'E, altitude 270–1000 m above sea level) includes 25 villages of Kilombero and Ulanga districts, in the Morogoro region of southwest Tanzania, about 320 km from Dar es Salaam (Figure 11.1). The area covers 80 km ×18 km in Kilombero District and 40 km ×25 km in Ulanga District, making a total of 2400 km2 of Guinea savannah in the floodplain of the Kilombero River, which divides the two districts. The Udzungwa Mountains lie to the northwest. The area has a rainy season from November to May, but rain may fall in any month of the year. Annual rainfall is 1200–1800 mm, and the annual mean temperature is 26°C.
