Increasing agricultural production is said to be the best way to reduce poverty affecting most of the rural population in Tanzania, according to research. For this reason, leaders, policymakers and bilateral donors are supporting the country’s initiatives aimed at boosting agriculture and food security.
Over the weekend, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) launched a new project, the Inclusive Green Growth of the Smallholder Agriculture (IGGASAS) Programme in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).
Supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the scheme aims to increase incomes and food security by 2020 of an estimated 30,000 smallholder farmers in the Southern Highlands region of Mbeya.
Project implementers say the focus of this ambitious programme will be strengthening at least six crop chains to operate more efficiently while increasing access to inputs and knowledge of agronomic practices among small-scale farmers. Another focus will be to improve access to markets and the improvement of policy environment and advocacy for climate-smart agriculture.
To lay ground for the project take off, in July last year of NOK 9,000,000 (US 1.2M) to AGRA to finance a one-year inception phase of the IGGSAS Programme in the SAGCOT with YARA International as a key partner.
Source: allafrica.com
