Family Alliance For Development And Cooperation, Tanzania

FADECO'S INVOLVEMENT IN AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT:

FADECO sees agricultural improvement as the main entry point in addressing the socioeconomic and environment problems facing farmers in Kagera region. A number of interventions have been worked through a rigorous Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) involving all the stakeholders into this sector.

Several projects have been started in this endeavour and include the following:

• Organic Farming including Integrated Plant Nutrition (IPN) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• Agricultural extension (farmers' training and technical support)

• Agro-forestry and tree planting

• Soil feeding and conservation practices

• Post harvest management

• Marketing.

1.0 Promotion of organic farming

FADECO has adopted the Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) systems as an environmentally friendly and socially just mechanism in rejuvenating the agriculture practices in Karagwe.

This has been done through extension programmes geared at building the capacity of the grassroots farmers to be able to improve their agricultural production. Several topics are covered under this program and these include:

• Soil feeding (IPN) practices mainly composting

• Soil tillage practices mainly double dug beds, raised beds, Mandala gardens

• Moisture retention practices cover cropping, mulching

• Integrated pest management (IPM)

2.0 Agricultural extension:

This is mainly done to bridge the extension gaps that exist in the overall government extension service delivery. FADECO organizes training programmes covering a wide range of agricultural topics and delivers it to the target groups in organized workshops, seminars and audiovisual shows. FADECO has successfully organized extension programmes in the following specific areas:

• Organic farming practices

• Tree planting and agro-forestry

• Micro animal husbandry practices

• Integrated pest management

• Small-scale agro processing including making jams, squashes, tomato/ chili sauces

• Appropriate technology waste management (using reed bed systems)

FADECO has established a resource centre with a wide range of books and other reference material that are freely accessible to interested users. There are a couple of CDROM libraries which users can also freely access. FADECO also produces a quarterly development magazine called WAZA in which a wide range of topics is covered.

3.0 Soil conservation

In collaboration with the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF) of Nairobi- Kenya, FADECO has been able to conduct organised training in soil conservation practices. Using simple equipment like A-Frame, Rope and spirit level, FADECO has been able to train farmers how to lay contour lines, plant trees on slopes and to plant plants that would otherwise control soil erosion.

4.0 Agroforestry

FADECO set to work on environmental conservation for a number of reasons. In the first place, agricultural improvement needed to be approached in a holistic way given the complexity of the problems facing the communities. In fact, it is difficult to talk of poverty alleviation with looking at the social and economic aspects of the people. This leads you to talk about the different resources available to the people, and then of course, the environment comes in.

Agro-forestry can be explained as the growing of crops and trees on the same farm. However, not all trees can be intercropped with crops. Therefore a selection was made of these trees that can be successfully intercropped. Initial efforts saw FADECO liaise with several institutions involved in agro-forestry like the Kenya Wood Fuel and Agro-forestry Project (KWAP) in Eldoret-Kenya, ICRAF, SACDEP and KENGO all in Kenya, CFDP in Karagwe and VI-project in Masaka, Uganda.

4.1 Tree Nursery activities:

The FADECO nursery has continued to provide tree seedling planting material to the target groups in Nyakasimbi and Kimuli villages. It has also continued to be an example of tree planting efforts in the area. The emphasis has concentrated on the evolution of decentralized nurseries by individuals and groups, which is now acceptable.

4.2 Tree planting activities:

The following agro-forestry tree species have been successfully promoted

Grevillea Robusta
Acrocarpus Fraxinifolius
Jacaranda Mimisifolia
Maesopsis Eminni
Casuarina
Moringa Olifeira
Azadracta Indica (neem)
Melia Azedrach
Markhamia Lutea
Senna Spectabilis
Senna Siamea
Dodonea Viscosa
Luceana Leucocephola
Terminalia Ivorensis
Terminalia catappa

5.0 Post harvest management

The main Project Purposes were:

• To apply appropriate technology solutions to food storage and preservation problems (that in principle lead to food loses and accelerate the lack of food) at the household level using renewable energy sources ( the sun) which is both cheap and environmentally friendly

• To create employment and income generating opportunities through food processing enterprises at low cost for many farmers, vulnerable groups, individuals and young people, etc.

• To produce products to improve nutritional standards in family diets

• To enhance sustainable household and national food security

• To empower farmers with the needed technical skills in post harvest technologies for food preservation, processing, storage and post- harvest utilization (how to further utilize such solar dried products for own use or for the market)

• To enhance household income through direct sale/ marketing of solar dried agro products or through starting related income generating projects like making confectionery products : bread, biscuits, chutney, etc.
  

5.1 Present challenge to the project and envisaged plans:

5.1.1 Support to groups interested in fruit drying:

FADECO would like to support groups interested in managing own solar drying projects (so far 250 applications have been received). The present market demand is in the range of 9 - 300 tones of dried fruit per year. These can be achievable with 1500 solar dryers fully operational. There is a need to expand the production of solar dried products to meet demand.

5.2 Expansion of the project to other districts in the region:

Requests have been received from other districts of Muleba, Bukoba, Geita, Ukerewe and Mwanza for the project. The limited capacity of FADECO makes it difficult to respond to all these requests. In Muleba and Kigoma plans are under ways for the solar drying of small fish called dagaa (sardines).

6.0 MARKETING

6.1 Operational Market Research:

Technology transfer has been combined with market research. Several crops have been dried including coffee, pepper and herbs. Cassava and potatoes have also been dried using solar dryers. Mr. Jan Van Geffen from the Netherlands management Cooperation Programme (NMCP) has tried to identify markets for FADECO for the dried fruits.

Other post harvest utilization mechanisms have been tried. For instance solar dried bananas have been ground to flour to make high quality confectionery products: banana bread, banana biscuits and banana cakes made with or without the addition of other ingredients. While in Rubya hospital (Muleba district), banana flour is mixed with Soya flour to make a highly nutritious supplementary feed to malnourished children in the nutrition unit.

7.0 Methodology of implementation:

Much of the project activities have concentrated on technology transfer and capacity building through meetings and training workshops. Marketing has been handled by FADECO Trading Co. Ltd.

7.1 Meetings with stakeholders:

These were aimed at introducing and laying ground for the project. During these meetings (with village leaders and key persons) were discussed the importance and the benefits of food preservation. During these same meetings, partners were identified, any existing mechanisms were discussed. After such meetings, organized workshops were arranged.

7.2 Workshops / Seminars:

Capacity building of women groups, Youths groups and individuals farmers has always been our target. Village leaders have also been welcome to specialized training.

7.2.1 Follow up and on-going training:

Regular visits have been conducted to groups and individuals who have undergone the training. With the presence of a trainer attached to the center, it has always been possible to offer informal training to more farmers outside normal workshop schedules. Demonstration centres have been set up in 4 villages and even it is a plan to collaborate with interested NGOs/ CBOs so as to make a wider impact.