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By VALENTINE OFORO
THE Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) is implementing an array of strategies to help heightening perfomance of the agroforest sub-sector, being concerted efforts to spur the country’s environmental status.
The ongoing initiative majors on research and production of improved seeds for the agroforest tree varieties, innovation of useful farming implements, as well as soil health.
Some of the tree seeds in question include the leucena pallida, moringa oleifera, mucuna pruriens and local mkongo and amla for germplasm collection to mention few.
Giving an interview to this publication during the ongoing exhibitions for the ahead celebrations of this year' World Environment Day (WED), Mshaghuley Ishika, the National Coordinator for Technology Dissermination and Partnership at TARI said the agroforest trees being produced are environmental friendly.
"The tree varieties we're producing are embracing numerous potential because they cater for medicinal use, human being food and animal feeds, as well as for timber production also prevent soil erosion and improve soil nutrients," she unveiled.
She added, apart from researching and hatching the useful agroforest varieties, TARI also impart farmers with key knowledge on agroforesty farming recommended practices for food security as well as household cash income.
"The vision is to cement efforts by the government to curtail severe effects of climate change through supplying the farmers with crop resilient improved seeds which are intercroppred with environmental- friendly trees" Ishika revealed.
To ensure effective coordination of the sector, she unveiled that the institute has earmarked two of its 17 centers to specialize on research of agroforest and soil health.
"Our Tabora-based center of TARI Tumbi is specific for the agroforest research whilst TARI Mlingano based at Tanga region is dealing with soil health research," as expressed.
Dwelling on relevant technologies, she said the Institute has so far started disseminating the simple seed planter machinery named RAFIKIi Planter.
"The machine which use only one litre petrol has been designed to facilitate planting of cotton, sunflower and maize. This farm mashine is a fast - operating machine which use only 45 minutes to maximum one hour to plant one acre and uses a single operator compared to the formal methods whereby more than 10 farners used to spend a day- long time to plant the same acreage," she detailed.
Rice nursery sheet, known in Swahili as 'Kitalu Mkeka' is the other recently invented technology for rice planting which have sucessful cropped up through the institute rolling out for curtailing climate effects towards the rice growing sub- sector.
"The other technology Systems of Rice Intensification (SRI), a water - effective practice which consume few seeds, but with high production and productivity "Ishika added.
In curtailing soil degradation, she said the institute is working to impart the farmers best knowledge on how to create the tied ridges.
"And to further assisting the farmers, we have developed the special ringer and ripper machines, with use of the facilities farmers are now masterminding tied ridge making;" she observed.
Going far, TARI also work to train and advising the farmers over soil health and testing.
"Together with that we have also developed effective map on soil pH and management options for improvement of soil health in Tanzania, but also, the special crop suitability map, particularly sunflowers for Dodoma and singida regions, " she unveiled.
Tomorrow,June 5, 2024, Tanzania will join the countries in the world to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day under the theme “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience.”
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