Longido District (Wilaya ya Longido in Swahili) is one of seven districts of the Arusha Region of Tanzania. The district is bordered to the east by the Ngorongoro District, to the south west by the Monduli District and southeast by the Arusha Rural District and Meru District. To the far east by Siha District of Kilimanjaro Region and the north by Kenya. It covers an area of . The district is comparable in size to the land area of Puerto Rico.Longido District was created in 2007 from Monduli District. Mount Longido, Gelai and Kitumbeine volcano are all located within the boundaries of the district. The administrative seat is the town of Longido. According to the 2012 census, the population of the district was 123,153. Longido District is known as Arusha's gem district as its home to Anyolite and Rubies.
Geography
The District has an area of 7,782 square kilometers, of which 9.4% is arable land, equivalent to 73,164 hectares, and the remaining 82.14% is grazing land, equivalent to 639,235 hectares. In addition, woodland and rock cover 365.75 square kilometers of land, or 36575 hectares, or 4.7%.
Climate
The district is one of Tanzania's driest areas, with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 35°C with rainfall ranging from less than 500mm in the lowlands to 900mm in the high elevations of West Kilimanjaro, Ketumbeine, and Gelai mountains. It is Arusha's driest district.
Topography
The District has three types of soil: shallow soils that are poor and unsuitable for agriculture, deep freely drained soils that are rich in natural fertilizers but have a low infiltration rate, and deep freely drained soils that are appropriate for agricultural cultivation. Ketumbeine, Gelai, and Oldonyo Lengai Mountains are among the solitary mountains located in Longido District. The elevation ranges from 600m to 2,900m above sea level. The vegetation is diverse, including a mixed forest, bush regions, and grassland.
Economy
TZS 14,787,392,620/= was calculated as the district's income (for the year 2002). According to these statistics, the annual per capita income for Longido District Council residents was around Tshs.199,630/=, compared to the Regional Tshs.286,000/=. The agriculture sector contributes about 5% of the district's income. Other sectors that contribute to district income include cattle, business, tourism, and minor industries, which account for 95% of district income. In terms of per capita income of the habitation every year, it is clear that poverty remains a problem for the inhabitants of Longido District Council.
Infrastructure
Almost all District water supply statistics show an alarming lack of water for both human and livestock use. The main causes of insufficient water supply, particularly in rural regions, are a lack of natural water sources such as springs and a lack of perennial rivers. Currently, 42% of Longido District Council residents have access to safe and clean drinking water from upgraded sources such as springs, bore holes, rain water, streams, rivers, and shallow wells.
The District road network has a total length of 563.9 kilometers, of which 229 kilometers are District roads, 355.9 kilometers are feeder roads, 36 kilometers are Urban roads, and 244 kilometers are under TANROAD. About 15.5% of road networks are in good shape, 45.4% are in medium shape, and 35.9% are in poor shape. 81.3% of the route is open all year, while 18.7% is closed during the rainy season. Paved trunk road T2 from Arusha to the Kenyan border town Namanga passes through the district.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the major economic activity of people in Longido District council. The land currently under cultivation is 29,223 Hectares or 3.76% of the total arable land which is 36,578 Hectares. About 6,158 of the population are engaged fully in agriculture which is 5% of the population, growing cash crops mainly wheat in the highlands. Food crops grown in the District include Horticultural crops, maize, beans, green beans and potatoes in the highlands and the rest in the lowlands of the district.
The District contains 117,000 livestock producers who own a range of livestock, including 234 dairy cattle, 356,430 beef cattle, 192,970 sheep, 455 pigs, 329,673 goats, and 11,123 donkeys.In the highlands, livestock are kept on a semi-intensive grazing system, whereas in the lowlands, most animals are grazed on communal land. The District currently has 24 cattle dips, 5 livestock development centers, 6 bulls centers, 2 slaughter houses, 14 slaughter slabs, 2 milk collection canters, and 14 livestock input outlets.