According to this article, smallholder rain-fed farming systems generally realise sub-optimal crop yields, which are largely attributed to dry spell occurrences during crop growth stages. However, through the introduction of appropriate farming practices, it is possible to substantially increase yield levels even with little and highly variable rainfall. The presented results follow research conducted in the Makanya catchment in northern Tanzania, where gross rainfall amounts to less than 400 mm/season, which is insufficient to support staple food crops (e.g., maize).