Posted on October, 30, 2019 at 09:53 am
OVER 700 farmers in four regions - Dodoma, Morogoro, Lindi and Iringa have been trained on how to adopt Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) - an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform agricultural systems in a changing climate.
CSA aims at sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building resilience to climate change; and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible.
Agricultural Field Officer of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Sigismund Mujuni said this when speaking recently at a one-day training on media awareness session on gender and nutrition sensitive agriculture.
Mujuni said that farmers are being trained on CSA practices and technologies in their farming activities to cope with climate change, improve soil fertility, increase productivity and hence improving incomes.
The training was offered to farmers free of charge in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 farming season.
He said under Building Capacity for Resilient Food Security Project (BCRFS) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) small scale farmers were trained on how to employ different technologies that cope with the climate change, increase soil fertility and humidity for plant growth.
Tie-ridging technology, intercropping, chololo pits, ‘fanya juu’ and ‘fanya chini’ terraces as well as use of drought tolerant improved seed varieties are the main technologies and techniques that farmers were told to employ in their farming activities.
The main goal was to ensure farmers are well equipped with necessary CSA knowledge, skills, and practice that in turn will help them know how to apply them in different farming activities and production systems.
Among those farmers, a total of 358 farmers were trained at Hombolo and nghumbi villages in Dodoma region for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 farming season while a total of a total of 154 farmers were trained at Image and
Mtandika villages in Kilolo district, iringa region for 2018/2019 farming season.
Also in Morogoro region, a total of 156 farmers were trained at Kimambira and the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute (MATI) llonga in Mvomero district for 2018/2019 farming season while in Lindi region, 129 farmers were trained at Chienjele and Machamaja villages in Ruangwa district.
The main goal was to help farmers be well equipped with CSA technologies and later on train their peers.
“During the training, we set up 8 demonstration plots to help farmers learn from there and later on put into practice what they have learnt as well as train their peers,” he noted
Also during the training, farmers were taken through CSA terminologies and practices as well as help them to visit 8 demo plots to see different CSA technologies so that they can choose for themselves which technology is suitable for their farming activities and later on employ it.
“As IITA we are very glad because tie-ridging, chololo pits, ‘fanya juu’ and ‘fanya chini’ technologies and drought tolerant improved seeds are the main technologies that have impressed more farmers and so far some of the farmers have been already started to employ it.” He noted.
Apart from that farmers were trained on how to practice intercropping with legumes planted with other crops to add nutrients to the soil to improve soil fertility.
“We train farmers on CSA’s technologies in accordance with the Agro-ecological zones,” he said.
“For example at Machang’anya and Chienjere villages in Ruangwa district, we demonstrated intercropping technology for intercropping drought-tolerant hybrid maize varieties namely NATA K6Q , WE 2112 and AGRISEED H12 and pigeon peas and the result was very good,” he noted.
While at Hombolo and nghumbi villages in Dodoma region, they trained farmers on how to intercrop legume seeds with sorghum, pearl millet, cow pea and bambaranuts in half acre of land to improve soil fertility and the result was also very good and farmers have began to employ it.
For her part, ITTA communication officer, Catherine Njuguna added that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donates a total of USD 2million to IITA for the implementation of Building Capacity for Resilient Food Security Project (BCfRFS).
She said BCfRFS is a three-years project being implemented by IITA in collaboration with the ministry of Agriculture and Livestock with support from USAID.
Currently the project is implemented in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar in Agro-ecological zones that includes Arid and semi-Arid zone, Southern highlands and Coastal Island.
The main goal of the project is to build the country’s capacity to effectively respond to the challenges faced by agric sector due to climate change.
Under this project farmers were given drought tolerant seeds, improved varieties and quality seeds.
Apart from that so far IITA has trained 30 tutors from different agricultural research institutes on Climate Smart Agriculture so that they can be well equipped with necessary CSA knowledge, skills and practice and know how to apply them in different regions and production systems for farmers.
Currently the project is working in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar in the agro-ecological zones that includes Arid and Semi-Arid, Coastal Island and Southern Highlands.
CSA has three main objectives that include sustainably increase agricultural productivity and income, adapt and build resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions where possible.
Source: IPP Media