The Regional organic farming initiative, dubbed ‘Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in East Africa (KHEA)’, has reached out to more than 1,500 smallholder farmers across Tanzania. The three-year project, which started in 2022, aimed to equip farmers with practical skills to improve agricultural production and promote environmentally friendly farming practices. The project provided training in organic production, soil fertility management, pest and disease control, and strengthening farmer-centred knowledge exchange.
The project, implemented by the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM) in collaboration with other partners, operated in six regions of Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Songwe, Njombe, Mtwara, and Zanzibar. TOAM's Project Manager, Ms Brigita Didas, said the completion of the initiative provided an opportunity for beneficiaries to continue applying the knowledge and skills acquired during its implementation. The project aimed to collect, document, and share organic farming knowledge across East Africa.
The initiative promotes practical and affordable approaches to organic farming, including encouraging farmers to use locally available materials to prepare essential agricultural inputs such as organic fertilisers and pesticides. According to Ms Didas, this initiative promotes practical and affordable approaches to organic farming. The project enables farmers to reduce production costs by relying on resources found within their communities rather than depending entirely on purchased inputs.
Beneficiaries of the project have expressed satisfaction with the initiative, saying it has opened up opportunities for promoting organic agriculture and sharing practical farming knowledge. Ms Salama Hussein Makame, one of the beneficiaries from Zanzibar, said she applied the skills acquired through the initiative to train other farmers on preparing organic pesticides using locally available materials, including medicinal plants.
The use of locally available materials has made organic farming more accessible by reducing the cost of purchasing pesticides. The project was implemented in successive one-year phases, with the first phase beginning in 2022. A fourth phase is expected to be introduced, providing an opportunity to expand knowledge-sharing and strengthen the adoption of organic farming practices across the region.
The project currently works across some of the East African blocs, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Madagascar, with the overall aim of improving access to knowledge on organic agriculture and agroecology. The initiative also aims to strengthen the capacity of knowledge multipliers and connect actors across organic agriculture value chains.
The project's impact is expected to be long-lasting, with beneficiaries continuing to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the initiative. With the introduction of a fourth phase, the project is expected to expand its reach and strengthen the adoption of organic farming practices across the region, ultimately contributing to improved agricultural production and environmentally friendly farming practices.
Key points
- Over 1,500 smallholder farmers across Tanzania have benefited from the organic farming project.
- The project promotes practical and affordable approaches to organic farming using locally available materials.
- A fourth phase of the project is expected to be introduced to expand knowledge-sharing and strengthen the adoption of organic farming practices.
