Posted on November, 26, 2018 at 10:16 am
By Hellen Nachilongo
Dar es Salaam — Farmers at Kaengera Ward in Rukwa Region are shifting to manure as an alternative to chemical fertilisers as they also try to cope with climate change.
Kaengesa Environmental Conservation Society (Kaeso) project manager Sophia Ngoya told The Citizen recently that they would focus on organic fertilisers instead of waiting for chemical fertilisers from the government. "Instead of waiting for chemical fertilisers that often come late, we have opted to use organic manure to help us produce food crops on the right time," he said.
Ms Ngoya made the remark during the launch of Forum for Rural Producers in Tanzania (Juwavita), which was organised by the Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (Ansaf).
According to her, the focus is put on organic fertilizers because in most cases, chemical fertilisers is distributed late and sometime it does not meet the farmers' demands.
She said organic manure was reliable because it improves the quality of the soil in a natural way and boosts yields.
"From the time we started using organic manure, we have witnessed an increase of food production, for instance, one acre of land can produce at between 10 and 15 bags of maize compared to seven when a farmer uses chemical fertilisers," she said.
Agriculture deputy minister Mr Omary Mgumba said Juwavita has come at the right time because its initiative will help increase productivity, urging the farmers to focus on modern ways of farming.
Source: The Citizen