Soil pollution? No, go for organic farming

TANZANIA: ORGANIC farming has been shown to reduce pollution, decrease soil erosion, conserve water, boost biodiversity, improve soil fertility and fight the effects of climate change.

With this in mind, any non-governmental actor like Island of Peace (IDP) that contributes in helping to grow food crops in a natural way, that is to say with less exposure to nitrates and pesticide ensure consumers eat natural foodstuffs.

For instance, IDP has enabled more than 3,000 farmers in Arusha Region to get skills on organic farming and environmental conservation and that enables communities to eat safe and secure food.

This was stated by IDP Country Director, Ayesiga Buberwa, while talking to ‘Daily News’ in Dodoma, recently adding that in collaboration with the National Federation of Smallholders Farmers’ Associations in Tanzania (SHIWAKUTA) they have been able to provide 45,000 villagers with education which adds value to the crops that they harvest.

She further said that the organisation looks at food chain from the farms to the table so that farmers cultivate sustainable agriculture with no burden of costs.

“We teach farmers the best farming techniques in organic ecology, that is to use natural seeds, protect the environment, consumer, farmer and biodiversity.

“We also provided them with a chemical-free crop preservation system, so that the crops are safe”, she pointed out.

Elaborating, she said that IDP has trained more farmers to grow short- and long-term crops and keep livestock among others, so that they are guaranteed in food security.

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The director further said that they have been helping young people to engage in the production of local pesticides, fertilizers and make also ordinary products such as mats and tablets, thus earn a guaranteed income.

He also said that they are encouraging other Tanzanians to use organically produced products to ensure that more people are using safe resources from the farm.

“We are working in schools where we are implementing our projects, the aim is to make the student love ecological farming right from the school, but also love to eat nutritious food and not junk foods. They should also eat watermelons, legumes, potatoes and so on,” she added.

Ms Buberwa said they are also working with food vendors, who are mostly women, who serve the public and in this process connect them with farmers to get crops that have been grown through organic farming.

The director said IDP also does advocacy and advocacy work mainly in partnership with the government to raise awareness, citing as an example of 5th August 2024, when it organised a dinner with them.

She said she wants everyone to see themselves as responsible in ensuring that people eat safe and secure food that has been prepared from organic farming systems, for better health.

Everyone needs to take responsibility in this, be they food vendors, farmers, businessmen and others as policy makers, planners, strategists and researchers.

In addition, she pointed out that Tanzania has a lot of native seeds that should be studied to identify their characteristics, because this in turn will address climate change effects and food security.

She said that if farmers are educated about the benefits of organic farming, they will abandon the use of pesticides that allegedly harm consumers, the soil and the environment.

“Agriculture is a business, and any business is competitive, so we are working with the government to ensure that organic farming is given a chance and we have now launched a strategy for organic farming and we have agreed to start with six priorities and I believe that one day we will speak one language after every group gets the right information and decides which one to follow,” she added.