SCALING UP AGRICULTURE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

FOR MODERNIZING AGRICULTURE IN TANZANIA

By: Abiud Gambaabbygamba@yahoo.com

+255 767 591150

Talk Outline

Over view of the Tanzania Agriculture sector

Main challenges facing the Agriculture Sector in the Country

Efforts to improve the performance of the Agriculture sector in Tanzania

Some promising Initiatives

Over view of the Tanzania Agriculture sector

Agriculture in Tanzania plays an important role in the overall development of the economy and the livelihood of its peopleIt provides livelihoods to approximately 80 percent of the population; most of them living in rural areasAgriculture in Tanzania is dominated by smallholder farmers (peasants) cultivating average farm size of 0.9 to 3.0 hectares eachThe smallholder farmers normally practice substance farming also raise animals

Over view……

• The country has a largest number of livestock units in the SADC region; It is the third in Africa as a whole after Sudan and Ethiopia.

• Smallholder farmers use rudimentary technologies which inevitably lead to low yield.

• Tanzania is well endowed with a variety of farming systems with climatic variations and agro-ecological conditions of which various crops can be grown.

Over view ……..

• Although the country has a high potential of irrigation, most farmers practice rain-fed agriculture which makes them vulnerable to climate changes.

• The major food crops produced in the country are:- Maize, rice, cassava, sorghum, millet, wheat, beans, potatoes and plantains and for cash crops are: Coffee, cotton, cashew nut, sisal, tobacco, sugarcane, pyrethrum, tea, cloves, oil seeds, spices and flowers.

• Main livestock kept includes cattle, shoats and poultry.

Main Challenges Facing the Agriculture Sector in Tanzania

• Inability of smallholder farmers to access extension and advisory services due to lack of extension staffs and researchers

• High postharvest losses caused by poor storage facilities, access to and use of pesticides

• Inadequate credit and Market access for agricultural production.

• Poor infrastructures especially roads and inadequate investments in processing.

• Dependency on rain-fed agriculture ( vulnerable to droughts).

Efforts to improve the Performance of Agricultural Sector in Tanzania

• Enhancing the efficiency of extension and advisory services by increasing number of extension staffs and routine capacity building

• Provision of credits for agricultural production and marketing (microcrocredit institutions e.g. TADB, NMB,CRDB).

• Promote adoption of warehouse receipt system to address marketing problems and Efficiency use of voucher systems to enhance farmers’ access to inputs; agro-processing and reducing postharvest losses

Efforts to improve…….

• Attracting foreign investors to invest in Agriculture (Irrigation and Processing) for increased productivity and spur employment gap.

• Government commitment in Employing researchers, policy makers and specialized staffs in the field and support to academic institutions to enroll more students in the field of agriculture.

Potential investment in Tanzania Agriculture Sector

• The country has large arable land which can be used for large scale production such as coffee, sisal, sugar cane

• Fruits and vegetables production and processing – available room for large scale production of both tropical and temperate fruits and vegetable.

• Agricultural inputs – - Establishing of manufacturing factories of farm

machineries and implements as well as packaging various materials for agricultural commodities.

- Investing in manufacturing fertilizers and agricultural chemicals.

Some Promising Initiatives

• Contract farming and warehouse receipt systems for collective selling.

• Formation of agribusiness and entrepreneurship groups.

• Presence of private sectors along agricultural value chain – provision of extension services

• Milk processing – there is investor collecting milk from smallholder dairy farmers for processing thus increased access to market.

• Call for more academic and research institutions like SUA, UDSM, MJNUAT, IITA, MARI, KARI, SERIAN etc

I thank you again for your attention!

CA Technology – Input/output