Small holder farmers at Muwindi Village in Lumuli Ward of Iringa District in Iringa region has hailed the One Acre Fund for farmers in cultivating maize which made farmers in the village to increase production.
They said that the coming one acre fund initiative most of the smallholder farmers in the village have increased their harvest, as they were producing fewer bags of maize as per acre.
The farmers made the revelation yesterday during the harvesting day celebrations held at Muwindi Village in iringa district, iringa organized by one acre fund and the same event One Acre Fund signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iringa District Council.
This agreement between two parties expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action.
Plasidia Zavery Utenga is a smallholder farmer at Muwindi Village confessed that since she started receiving support from one acre fund she has improved her farming practice from traditional to modern.
She said that since she started farming with One acre Fund four years ago things has changed, whereby she used have fewer harvest one acre farm but the support from program has increased harvest.
Utenga said that she used to harvest three to eight bags of maize but now she is able harvest 17 to 20 bags of maize from one acre, adding the production has increased by acreage.
She said that One Acre Fund support smallholder famers with farming implements including inputs and seeds and are made to pay after the harvest.
She testified that the program has held her taking her children to secondary school and living in decent modern house powered by solar energy.
However, Lumuli Ward Council, Charles Lutego said most of the smallholder farmers face the challenge of reliable ready market and urged the government to support farmers in terms of markets.
He said that One Acre Fund has improved farming practice in the area by providing farming implements and extension services in collaboration with the government but main challenge is the market.
Lutego said a lot of famers were failing to grow maize at large scale due to lack of market and asking the government and other stakeholders to link then with markets.
Sector Coordination, Economic and Productive sectors in President’s office, Regional Administration and local, Leo Mavika has assured farmers of the market in Comoro.
He said that government through TANTRADE is working tirelessly to make sure things were going smoothly including linking famers to the markets.
Mavika urged farmers to be time conscious by making sure that they plant on time and make put records of all farming activities during farming season.
He said that it important to keep records of all farming activities so the they measure what has was produced and what cost of production was so they should know the loss and profit for previous farming season.
Jennifer Lindgren, Tanzania Country Director at One Acre Fund said One Acre Fund started working in Tanzania 2012. We currently support farmers cultivating maize over one long growing season per year in Iringa and Mbeya regions.
According to the Government Relations Specialist One Acre Fund | Tanzania, Michael Machera, One Acre Fund supplies smallholder farmers with the tools and financing they need to grow their way out of hunger and poverty. We only serve farmers and we always put Farmers First.
He said that One Acre Fund is a non-governmental organization that works with smallholders in Eastern Africa. In Tanzania began in 2012 in two wards of the Iringa Council, Kalenga and Magulilwa for serving more than 1,500 farmers.
Machera noted that the organization expanded its scope and served 9,000 farmers for two district councils Iringa and Kilolo.
The organization currently works with 39,000 farmers in four regions of Iringa, Mbeya, Songwe and Njombe.
The organization also offers modern agricultural training and educates farmers how best to store their crops and sell them on time and market grows.
He said that it also provides maize storage bags without placing drugs and for this season, 2017/2018, the One Acre Fund issued a total of 1,061 tons of planting fertilizer including DAP and CAN, and 106 tones seeds worth Tshs. 2,775,346,346 for the 9,259 farmers of 18 wards.
Iringa District, namely, Ifunda, Luhota, Lyamgungwe, Magulilwa, Mgama, Mseke, Ifunda, Kalenga, Kaning’ombe, Kihanga, Kiwere, Lumuli, Maboga, Mseke, Nzihi, Ulanda, Wande and Wasa. The organization is currently in the farming exercise for next season, 2018/2019. By Friday Simbaya, Iringa
No comments:
Post a Comment