In sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the Makanya catchment of northern Tanzania, rainfed subsistence farming systems obtain low crop yields as a result of highly erratic rainfall seasons. The research sought to prove that, with improved farming innovations (runoff diversion, on-site rain water harvesting and conservation tillage), grain yields can improve even under the existing challenging hydro-climatic conditions. The results showed that the innovations resulted in increased maize grain yields of up to 4.8 t ha_1 compared against current averages of less than 1 t ha_1. For the SIs that were tested, the distribution of yields within a cultivated strip showed variations with better yields obtained on the down slope side of the cultivated strip where ponding effects resulted in higher water availability for infiltration and storage. The study showed that there is scope to improve grain yields with the little available rainfall through the adoption of techniques which promote water availability and retention within the field. The re-partitioning of water within the field creates mitigation measures against the impact of dry spells and allows alternative cropping in addition to the traditional maize cultivated in the rainfall seasons.