SUA produces first agribusiness specialists

MOROGORO: SOKOINE University of Agriculture (SUA) has produced Tanzania’s first cohort of Agribusiness Farmer Field School (AFFS) specialists under a newly introduced academic curriculum, marking a major step in supporting the country’s drive towards sustainable and commercially oriented agriculture.

The first 29 graduates of the programme are expected to help implement the government’s new Agribusiness Farmer Field School (AFFS) model, aimed at transforming agriculture into a more market-driven and profitable sector.

Speaking during a crop exhibition organised by three Agribusiness Farmer Field School groups in Morogoro Municipality over the weekend, SUA Lecturer Professor Rasel Madaha said the graduates are the first beneficiaries of the curriculum introduced last year.

The exhibition showcased projects implemented by farmer groups supervised by the graduates.

Prof Madaha said the Agribusiness Farmer Field School curriculum is offered at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, making SUA the first university in Tanzania and among the few globally to integrate the approach into a full academic programme.

“We have produced the first senior specialists of this kind in Tanzania. Such experts are rare even globally because SUA is the first university to integrate Agribusiness Farmer Field Schools as a full academic programme, beginning with postgraduate studies,” he said.

He said the graduates have entered the workforce at a critical time when the government has adopted new national guidelines that transform the traditional Farmer Field School model into Agribusiness Farmer Field Schools.

“To support implementation of the new guidelines, SUA developed this curriculum and has now produced the country’s first specialists, who will help drive sustainable agricultural transformation for Tanzanian farmers,” Prof Madaha said.

According to him, most of the graduates already work in the public agricultural sector and will apply their expertise to promote commercial farming by encouraging farmers to conduct market research before production, improve value chains and increase profitability.

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One of the graduates, Master of Science (MSc) student Mr Kija Kayenze, said many farmers still lack adequate knowledge of value addition, exposing them to losses when markets are unavailable.

Mr Kayenze, an Agricultural Officer in the Simiyu Regional Commissioner’s Office, urged agricultural professionals and institutions to strengthen practical training on value addition. He also called on local government authorities to allocate adequate funding for agricultural extension services.

Meanwhile, CARE International Tanzania said it pioneered the Agribusiness Farmer Field School approach in the country and later recommended its integration into university curricula.

Representing the Country Director, Ms Christina John said SUA adopted the recommendation by revising its curriculum to establish Agribusiness Farmer Field Schools as a full academic programme at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels to accelerate agricultural transformation.