Organic farming: Reached farmers will be ambassadors

TANZANIA: SINCE organic agriculture brings a number of benefits to human and environmental health, Tanzanian consumers deserve access to organic food of higher quality and with less risk of pesticide residues.

They deserve a reliable way to identify such food and to be guaranteed that “organic” products are really organic. This can prompt one to ask-what is organic farming? In a nutshell, it is a method of agricultural production that excludes the use of synthetic substances, such as pesticides, synthetic medicines or fertilisers and genetically modified organisms.

Based on the survey that involved 130 individuals (55 per cent men and 45 per cent women) from Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro regions, about one-third of the Tanzanian consumers interviewed were not able to define organic agriculture precisely in line with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) principles.

Despite difficulties in defining and identifying organic products because of a lack of certification labels and inadequate knowledge on organic agriculture, more than half of the consumers reported that they consume organic food and have done so for more than ten years.

Founded in 1972 as the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, this membership organisation represents the global organic movement promoting and lobbying for wider adoption of organic production, it remains true to that mission today.

To achieve this, a stakeholder in the movement the Innovative Farmer Magazine in a project has reached over 100,000 farmers engaging in organic ecological farming with education so that they are mobilised to produce more.

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This was stated by its Project Manager, Erica Rugabandana, during an interview with ‘Daily News’ in Dar es Salaam, over the weekend. She noted that the Innovative Farmer project that is under the BioVision Africa Trust through the Farmer Communication Programme, which has five schemes, four in Kenya and one in Tanzania and managed by Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) solely wants to see into it that the public is fed with fresh organic crop not grown with any industrial chemical as a pesticide or fertiliser.

She explained that within the project, they involve farmers in sharing their success stories publicised in the public through their magazines or through any other way so as to continue growing crops via ecological farming. This features various articles with techniques on sustainable agriculture, productive animal husbandry, proper nutrition and environmental conservation.

“When we talk about organic ecological farming, we mean agriculture that ensures the safety of human health, animal health, the environment and the plants being cultivated. Therefore, the magazine is written in simple Swahili, which enables farmers to understand and practice this type of farming,” she pointed out.

She added that the magazine, which is published once every two months, contains research and methods to enable farmers used to practice organic ecological farming. She mentioned area where they operate initially as in the regions of Manyara, Singida, Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga.

“We have been able to reach over 100,000 farmers in Tanzania, including the regions mentioned above. We also continue to receive new farmer groups and their goal is to reach even more farmers across the country, as organic farming is seen as a solution to the challenges faced in agriculture,” she said.

The manager also mentioned that they have reached over 53 lead farmers who have been educating other farmers, leading to positive changes in the sector.

“We have over 53 lead farmers who have succeeded and have been teaching others through this magazine, which is aimed at bringing about changes in the agricultural sector,” she said.

Rugabandana stated that the goal is to ensure that Tanzanian farmers return to organic ecological farming, because it is cost-effective, safe, produces valuable crops, does not require purchasing seeds frequently and the fertiliser is readily available on the farm.

She mentioned that the project has been implemented for three-year periods, with funding from the Bio Vision Foundation of Switzerland. However, they are planning to reach even more farmers through stakeholder support in various areas.

“We aim to ensure that at least 25 per cent of farmers receive education on organic ecological farming, so we are asking other stakeholders to help us produce more copies of this magazine,” she said.

Additionally, Rugabandana said that farmers recognise the benefits of this type of farming, so it is important for the relevant authorities to support them to bring positive outcomes for the country and its people.