In Tanzania more frequent droughts and changing rainfall patterns are forcing subsistence farmers to adapt
Farmers need only survey their parched fields during the ever-intensifying dry seasons here to know climate change is happening.
Rain falls less frequently than it did a decade ago because of “destruction of the environment” says Sopian Kinyoge, a 27-year-old farmer. His older sister says rains are more fleeting from “cutting down of the trees.” Alfred Mofuga, 63, simply says, “I cannot know the ways of God.”
Even as the government of Tanzania invests in enhanced food production as a way to fight poverty and raise this country’s standard of living, it faces challenges on many fronts, including resistance from farmers reluctant to change their old ways, and the ongoing difficulty of adapting to a changing—and less predictable—climate.
The country’s official blueprint for reaching its goal of becoming a middle-income economy by 2025 hinges, in fact, on expanding its agricultural production, especially in Tanzania’s relatively fertile southern corridor, where better technologies and methods are expected to improve crop yields exponentially. Other nations have catapulted into the middle-income tier of countries, thanks to agricultural development’s “multiplier effect,” which allows countries to attack hunger and poverty simultaneously, says Tom Hobgood, who heads the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) $77-million Feed the Future program in Tanzania. That’s why USAID and Tanzania’s government are banking on agriculture for the nation’s future. Already agriculture comprises roughly one third of the country’s GDP and employs about three quarters of the population. And working in better climate resilience and nutrition will be essential to reducing poverty and ensuring Tanzania’s future.
Tanzania has ushered in a coterie of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to help support agriculture all along the supply chain. Enterprising firms promising better seeds, fertilizers and outputs are entering into the mix. And the government is also supporting the growth of large farms, too, which they say could employ technology to assist small farmers via local agreements. (Promoting the growth of larger farms, however, may simultaneously set the stage for tensions between them and smaller farms.) “In the past we thought the government could do everything for everyone,” says Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Christopher Chiza. Now, we know, we can only create a conducive environment for employment, he says.
The government is finding, however, that even with outside help the task is daunting. Scaling up successful projects and even collecting evidence demonstrating that that scale-up would be worthwhile is slow-going. Moreover, basic infrastructural flaws can hinder progress; rain often renders roads impassable, and poor storage facilities leave harvested crops vulnerable to rot, vermin or mold.
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Food-Growing Strategies
- Once groovy, some foods are now ‘out of sight’
As I’m prone to do, I recently went down some rabbit holes to an interesting topic for you all to enjoy. I came upon an article ...
- 7 Brew grows fastest of food, drink chains
Rogers-based 7 Brew grew faster than any other U.S. food and beverage chain last year ... and this only fuels our excitement and passion for further growth," Nicole Miller Regan, head of strategy, ...
- Acai Berry Market: Anticipated to Reach a Lush Valuation of US$ 4.27 Billion by 2034, Reflecting a Juicy Expansion in the Health Food Sector
Soaring preference for organic and responsibly sourced Acai Berries propels the market to US$4.27 billion by 2034, fueled by an 8.5% CAGR.
- PeakBridge raises $187m for Growth Fund II, invests in protein, cocoa, dairy alternatives
the closing of this second early growth fund is further proof that our disciplined strategy is proving resilient and bearing fruit. For us, value creation is at the core of what we do. Our team brings ...
- From Healthy Meals to India's Leading Mithai Brand: Arihant Jain's Financial Mastery Revolutionizes the Food Segment
In the bustling city of Mumbai, a revolution in the food industry is unfolding, driven by the innovative strategies of Conscious Mitthaiwalla. This pioneering brand, co-founded by Arihant Jain and ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Food-Growing Strategies
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Food-Growing Strategies” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Food security
- Community leaders chart solutions to Dallas’ food access problems
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas hosted on Thursday a summit on the persistent challenges of and innovative solutions to food insecurity in Dallas.
- Sen. Welch promotes new Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act
Senator Peter Welch is reaping what he sows as he touts the Senate’s latest farm bill. The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act is the newest farm bill from the Senate, and this week, Vermont’s ...
- 35 mayors back PBBM’s food security policy
Thirty-five mayors from three regions in Luzon and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) have expressed their full support to the administration’s food security program. The ...
- Oxfam Reaction to Proposed Cuts to Food for Peace Program in Draft Farm Bill
Today, the House 2024 Farm Bill draft was released, containing provisions to cut funding for Food for Peace – a longstanding international food assistance program that provides both humanitarian and ...
- House’s panel approval of FSP testament to fostering food security
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday lauded the House Committee on Social Services for approving the proposed institutionalization of the “Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Food security
[google_news title=”” keyword=”food security” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]