By Staff Writer in Dodoma
A PROJECT has been hatched with an eye to impart the farmers in the three Districts of Chamwino, Mpwapwa and Dodoma with the needed knowledge to practice organic agriculture, being also in efforts to help heighten climate resilience
Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming, is an agricultural system that uses fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting.
Christened " Dodoma's Women in Agriculture and Business Initiatives (DWABI II), the three –years project is a brain child of the 'Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania' (SAT) Organization, and it is being implemented under the financial auspices from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) as well as ICEP.
Among others, the project attracts the small-scale farmers, especially those organized in model cooperative with a prime focus also to assist the beneficiary farmers to professionally engage into value addition and entrepreneurial activities.
Since its inception, in 2022, the robust initiative have so far managed to train more than 2700 farmers under different 61 groups, the vital training which based on organic agriculture, specifically on agroforestry and soil water conservation technologies as one of the best ways of mitigating climate change effects and increase productivity. Moreover, during the period a total of 60 demo plots were established.
As part to ensure the beneficiary farmers are getting the most needed agronomic practices to effectively engage into organic farming, the project has recently conducted a special event on organic agriculture education theatre and community sensation about persons with disabilities.
Speaking to this publication during the relevant event held in Mpwapwa District, the Project’s Facilitator, Rose Ndunguru expressed that the focus behind the event was to create among the farmers more awareness about organic agriculture technologies and its benefits contributing to yield increase, food security hence livelihood improvement.
“Also, the motive behind staging of this organic agriculture education theatre and community sensation is to ensure the persons with different forms of disabilities are included in the farming sector,” she expressed.
And Ndunguru added: “That’s why this activity runs under the theme of: “Organic agriculture for better consumer’s health and sustainable Environment with no one left behind”
Anna Kayoya, one among the project’s beneficiary farmers from Mpwapwa District said through the initiative she has so far managed to acquire vital practical skills pertaining to organic farming, the development which has assisted her to scale up her farming performance.
“Through the project we have been trained on varied methods of organic agriculture which enabled us to increase climate resilience, and hence allow sustainable production at our farms,” she detailed.
However, most of the farmers interviewed by this publication expressed to have also benefited a lot from various training on entrepreneurial skills and how to access capital loans.
“For instance, through the formation of One Model-Cooperative, we’re now producing various products from organic produce, and marketing them at various markets,” informed Charles Msanjila, another beneficiary farmer.
Among the project’s chief specific objectives are to create awareness about organic agriculture practices to at least 3000 people including 2 percent of the persons with disabilities in 26 villages in Chamwino and Mpwapwa districts.
Others are to ensure the farmers are knowledgeable through received training, capture, and follow the instructions in the posters to practice organic agriculture technologies.
THE PROJECT’S ACHIEVEMENTS
Since two years of the project’s implementation a lot of achievements have so far been achieved, including accomplishments of the following:
Livestock improvement through training, supply of goats improved breeds and chicks for poultry keeping in 45 Women groups.
Creating awareness about organic agriculture to 1996 stakeholders through participating in the annual agriculture exhibition (Nanenane Kanda ya Kati) where SAT won the second position in NGOs category.
Supported 877 women to do Participatory market research for opening market opportunities for their products.
232 women farmers were certified organically and can market their crops along East Africa as they have East Africa Organic Market
3 saving and lending Apexes were formed to increase access to financial services and accumulated above 70,000,000 TZS which is circulated as loans among members for 9 months.
934 women trained on entrepreneurship with products upgrading to increase income generating activities among them.
624 Energy saving stoves were constructed and this increased women's income as they are paid but also minimizes the effects of climate change as they use little firewood.
To expand the market for organic crops, one Cooperative (Mpwapwa and Kibakwe Agriculture and Marketing Cooperative Society, MPWAKI AMCOS LTD) was established and registered.
ABOUT SAT:
Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) is a vibrant organization in networking, promoting, advocating, undertaking, and facilitating Sustainable Agriculture through Research, Dissemination, Networking and Application.
SAT is registered under the NGOs Act with registration number ooNGO/R/0833. SAT aims at providing appropriate information and guidance to farmers on technologies, innovations and practices that improve food security in a sustainable, socially, economically, and environmentally friendly manner.
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