WAY FORWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN TANZANIA
Presented at the International Conference
on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural development,
By: Sekiku Joseph, FADECO , Karagwe - Kagera Region, Tanzania ,Beijing,China
11-14th Nov. 2001.
Introduction:
Promoting Sustainable ecological agricultural practices has been singled
out as the main solution (way forward) to improving agricultural production,
economic growth and food security. The process however is facing a lot
of constraints that need to be addressed:
-
Low level of understanding of sustainable ecological agriculture
practices and benefits to the community and the environment
-
Limited access to markets/ and lack of market information
-
Limited capacity and knowledge for post-harvest preservation, storage
and processing which would increase shelf/ storage life and add value
to products
-
Competition with conventional agriculture and new technological advances
like Bio-technology including the Genetically Modified crops (GMO).
-
Globalization
After saying that, my government ought to come out with a plan for
the modernisation of agriculture (PMA); modernising in the sense of
making it ecologically sound, socially just and environmentally friendly
and above all, affordable and profitable. This is not an easy task but
if the country has to feed its people and reduce the dependence on foreign
aid in terms of food, then something has to be done. Value adding through
post harvest processing and marketing also need more attention.
1. Low level of understanding of sustainable ecological agriculture
practices and benefits to the community and the environment:
Over 90% of the population in Tanzania, are peasant farmers with an average
income per capita of less than US $ 100 per year. The majority of the
farmers are poor to very poor. Yet agriculture is main activity and the
main source of income/ employment; and the backbone of the Tanzanian economy.
From results of a rigorous region-wide participatory planning process,it
was concluded that, the improvement of the agricultural sector (revenues
and food security) lie in the promotion and practice of Low External Input
Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) and crop diversification. Organic farming
in its broadest terminology and sense needs to be strengthened and reinforced.
IPN and IPM practices, Agro-forestry, Soil conservation, Bee keeping
and environmental awareness needs to be emphasized at all levels from
policy level (with agricultural extension staff) to farmers need to be
promoted at all costs and with much vigor. However most farmers are not
aware of LEISA practices.
FADECO is implementing a program to transfer knowledge and technologies
related to organic farming. The success of the present activities, demands
that increased funding and support of donor organizations should be directed
towards sensitization and technology transfer. The training of extension
staff and grassroots farmers/ communities in ecological agriculture should
be given priority.
2. Limited access to markets/ and lack of market information
a) Increasingly, sustainable organic products seem to have a high market
demand and good prices in Fair trade chain shops (especially in the West
i.e. Europe). This seems to be not the case in producing countries (like
Tanzania nor Uganda). There is no noticeable difference in taste and market
prices of what is organic and not organic regardless of the effort on
our local markets. The Markets in the west also dictate that the products
be certifies as organic… etc. The process of certification cost a
fortune and no poor good willed farmer in Tanzania would afford that cost.
b) Organically grown products have become popular with fair trade shops
assuring to offer a high price to the producers. But these are very few
and as mentioned above, very few peasant farmers can meet the requirements
for organic certification before their products are put on the market.
Even so, the target group for these products is limited to the few people
that are conscious of organic products.
For Tanzania, there is no distinction at all, and both types of crops(organin
and non-organic) will sell the same price. The consumers do not make any
distinction but it is true that a lot of energy and extra effort is needed
to produce an organic product.
c) Even where there would be a market, information on available opportunities
is not readily available to producers let alone the few clusters of
consumers.
The workable solution would be then to support programs geared towards
dissemination and availability of information to the general public. Support
to development of information technologies suitable for rural farmers
(like easy access to the internet for the rural areas) and information
centers and Tele-centers would help bridge the gap.
FADECO is in the process of setting up such resource/ information
Tele-center but lacks the needed financial resources to procure needed
information equipment and meet subscription charges in telephone charges.
A wireless linkage to the internet is an option but FADECO does not have
the logistics and resources for it. Assistance is sought from interested
donors/ financial institutions.
3. Limited capacity and knowledge for post-harvest preservation, storage
and processing which would increase shelf/ storage life and add value
to products:
Food loss and wastage are a pronounced and widespread phenomenon associated
with limited access to markets. Food preservation means that the shelf
life is increased/ or prolonged while processing means that value is also
added.
In Tanzania, investment in high technology for food processing is a thing
of tomorrow and so it is a dream today. Even though, under present working
conditions, it wouldn't be viable. In instances where attempts have been
done, excessive use of chemicals as preservatives or stabilizers has been
promoted, and the projects have never been sustainable at all.
In this case, the use of appropriate renewable technologies that are
environmentally sound and sustainable, for food preservation, storage
and processing, would pose a low cost and ecologically sustainable alternative
to food processing and preservation, adding to the benefits of environmental
conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
FADECO is at the moment involved in a project to disseminate low cost
POST HARVEST solar drying technology but only limited to crops
with a short shelf life: fruits and vegetables. Considering the magnitude
of the problem, a lot of effort is needed to transfer the technology to
the farmers (through training, on-farm demonstration, marketing support,
etc.). Financial support is needed to train more farmers, assist with
market development of solar dried products, campaigning and advocacy,
organic certification process, etc.
4. Competition with conventional agriculture and new technological advances
like Bio-technology including the Genetically Modified crops (GMOs).
In practice it is easy and economically cheap to farm the conventional
way, producing big quantities in relatively short periods of time compared
to sustainable agriculture. Declining soil fertility is counter-balanced
through use of conventional fertilizers while pests (on-farm and in-store)
are simply controlled by use of chemical pesticides. But what about the
ecological concerns: the destruction to nature and humans?
Because of the seeming simplicity of conventional agriculture, every
body seems to embrace it first hand and to go in for it. Sustainable ecological
farming remains to be challenged, unless strong protagonists join hands
to defend it. It is true to practice that sustainable farming is labor
intensive but its impacts on nature are great and worthy to be enhanced.
5. Globalization:
The world has become one small village, thanks to the development in
communication and information technologies. This however also means that
countries that practice conventional farming are able to produce more
food and flood/ exploit the markets (even on local markets of poor countries)
to the extent that the peasant farmers who grows organically, will never
be able to reap the rewards of her effort. This puts ecological agriculture
more in jeopardy.
Conclusion:
Tanzania is very vulnerable to all the pressures and global influences
of conventional farming. Unless stern measures are taken, it will never
be possible for the peasant farmer to develop nor access the benefits
of ecological agriculture.
Tanzania is at the moment undergoing positive structural adjustment transformation.
Politically, the government is moving towards decentralization of power,
giving more opportunity for the farmers to get involved through participatory
planning right from the village level. Economically, the government is
implementing a privatization program affording opportunity to private
investors to engage in productive business; communication-wise, the government
has allowed private telecommunication and communication companies to operate,
etc. These are all positive indications of progress.
FADECO as a local NGO sees this as an opportunity. However, unless access
to information is not improved, very few farmers (if any) will benefit
from the benefits of ecological agriculture because of limited access
to information.
FADECO makes an appeal to researchers, funding organizations, Donors
and policy makers the world over, to invest in programs that would enable
the grassroots farmers to access information and resources. FADECO also
calls for this support for her ongoing programs.
___________________________________________________________
If you would like to join hands with FADECO in improving the livelihood
of the people in Kagera region in particular and Tanzania as a whole,
contact us
on the address below:
FADECO
Plot 178/180 Kagera Street, Kayanga Town
P. O. Box 223
Karagwe - Kagera Region
TANZANIA
Tel/Fax: +255 28 2223024
Email: fadeco@africaonline.co.tz
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