Tuesday 16 March, 2010 kilimokwanza@guardian.co.tz
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Tuesday 16 March, 2010
EDITORIAL
inside
Enhanced water supply is key to Green Revolution It is not a secret. Mechanisation, finance, marketing, fertilisers, extension services, agro-processing are all-important. But the provision of water to the farmlands is paramount and all the other components, singly or combined, cannot make any significant change before more reliable water supply...
European Union welcomes Kilimo Kwanza
Stop this defeatist mentality
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uggest to many an elite Tanzanian to make some investment in agriculture and they will look for all manner of excuses why farming in this country is not a worthwhile venture. Top on the list of excuses will be heaping blame on the government for not providing this and not providing that to the farmers. Then arguments about likely loss in case of bad weather will follow. Then markets, then lack of financial services and so on. Only shortage of time can stop the listing of “why we cannot”. The question is when will the elite start saying “yes we can” in order to give the much needed inspiration to the peasant farmers who see them as opinion leaders? To say that agriculture cannot succeed is to condemn the country to eternal poverty and misery since 80 percent of the people depend on it directly for their livelihood. Such a defeatist mentality is what keeps some societies backward, even when they have plenty of resources around them. Their chances of getting a better life then lie with the coming in of foreigners who can exploit the resources and employ the owners of the land as underpaid workers. That is not the fate the elite wishes for the majority of their fellow Tanzanians, after half a century of independence. If the elite can encourage the rural folk in the areas they come from to embrace modern agricultural production, then a start will have been made. For it all starts in the mind. The peasants must be prompted to think big, think modern and think smart. Once enough of them develop the appetite for modern farming, natural and market forces will direct resources towards that sector. Moods and mentalities can be infec-
tious. If the elite voice a negative attitude to agriculture, it is bound to affect even the people who live off the land. So instead of looking for ways of improving their farms, they will look for ways of escaping from the land and take up petty activities in urban areas. At a time when there is a healthy demand for agricultural outputs worldwide, it is tragic to see that more people are inclined to leave the land than those who want to head back to it. One of the sadder examples of ‘modern’ life in Tanzania is the number of young newly employed people who are taking loans to buy unproductive toys like saloon cars which are parked over 90 percent of the time as the owners are seated in office or sleeping at home. The other ten percent that the engines are running the cars are stuck in frustrating traffic jams, adversely affecting the owners’ mood and long-term health. The example of the acquisition of luxury cars through bank loans is an indicator that finance is available, and it depends on what the borrower considers important. A loan injected in an agricultural venture is an option, just like a saloon car. The only difference is that the agricultural loan is bound to make you richer, while a noncommercial vehicle will always be a cost to the owner. The elite have an option of looking at agriculture as an opportunity or as a burden. Whatever option the critical mass of the elite leans towards, the future of the country will depend on it.
Wallace Mauggo Editor
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The European Union has been supporting the development of agriculture in Tanzania for many decades. Indeed, at one stage Tanzania was the recipient of the EU's biggest agricultural support programme in Africa. But even today, the support is considerable...
A Concerned assessment of Tanzania’s agriculture
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DAWASA in ambitious expansion of services
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There is an expectation among bureaucrats that Kilimo Kwanza will succeed. The common Tanzanians are sceptical based on the past experience on such initiatives. However Kilimo Kwanza has come at the right time when everyone is increasingly concerned about climate change...
DAWASA’s service area is the City of Dar es Salaam, and the towns of Kibaha and Bagamoyo;The population served is approximately 4 million people. Current water demand stands at 450,000 cubic metres per day...
8 Art & Design: KN Mayunga
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
Water first inside Kilimo Kwanza
By Guardian Staff Writer
Since the production of The Guardian and Nipashe Kilimo Kwanza started last October, we have been consistently asking the question; what is the key that can unlock the general development of Tanzanian Agriculture? In other words, what is the single most important component that must be addressed for Kilimo Kwanza to take off in a viable, modern way? All experts, opinion leaders, diplomats and ordinary farmers we have talked to give the same answer: Water.
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o it is not a secret. Mechanisation, finance, marketing, fertilisers, extension services, agro-processing are all-important. But the provision of water to the farmlands is paramount and all the other components, singly or combined, cannot make any significant change before more reliable water supply is provided. Fortunately, Tanzania is not an island on its own planet. There already several relevant models in the world from which the country can draw, without having to reinvent the wheel. Although there have been many successful irrigation programmes all over the world, there are three particular cases namely Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Australia that are quite relevant for Tanzania to take a closer look at at this point in time. Over the past three decades or so, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has created some ten million hectares of green, farming land on its desert landscape to produce grain, vegetables and livestock feeds. This has been achieved by drilling and pumping water from underground, over average vertical distances of one kilometre! Tanzanian farmers who are suffering crop failure due to delayed rains need to think of this since the depth at which underground water in this country lies in many areas is a mere ten metres. But one kilometer! Ten million hectares watered in 30 years with water from a kilometer (one thousand metres) down! Two other sources of farming water in Saudi Arabia are equally interesting. First is trapped rainwater. In those places where some occasional rainfall is received, the water is not allowed to go to waste. As much of the run off as possible is collected in dam tanks and used to irrigate gardens for months later. Taming rain water when it comes at the ‘wrong’ time is very relevant to Tanzania, where hectares upon hectares of freshly planted farms were recently
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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
COVER STORY
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REFLECTION on KILIMO
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Because of the importance of agriculture in our development, one would expect that agriculture and the needs of the agricultural producers would be the beginning and the central reference point of all our economic planning. Instead, we have treated agriculture as if it was something peripheral, or just another activity in the country, to be treated at par with all the others without having any special claim upon them…… We are neglecting Agriculture. If we are not, every ministry without exception, and every parastatal and every party meeting would be working on the direct and indirect needs of the agricultural producers…… We must now stop this neglect of agriculture. We must now give it the central place in all our development planning. For, agriculture is indeed the foundation of all our progress
Baba we Taifa, the late Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere – 1982
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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
COVER STORY
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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
COVER STORY
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Enhanced water supply is key to Green Revolution
FROM PAGE 3
, 2010 16 March
Saudi Arabia has in 30 years created 10 million hectares of green farms in the desert using water pumped from 1 kilometres under the ground. In Tanzania such water lies only ten metres below the surface.
The first consideration should be water. Utilizing water should be the first priority then infrastructure and others will follow. Water quality is important for the success of agriculture, and proper agriculture management practices are necessary to meet domestic water quality standards and provide for health and the ecosystem. Cooperation between agriculture and domestic water users is necessary to provide adequate water quality for both parties
washed in the north of the country. But the more interesting source of Saudi Arabian farms is urban disposal. All towns, those in Tanzania included, dispose of tonnes upon tones of wastewater everyday. Homes, factories institutions generate millions of litres of water that has been used for different processes. The Saudis trap and clean as much of this as they can and deliver it to gardens where it is required and does wonderful work. It is worth noting that just like the drilling and distribution systems used to get water from kilometres below the surface, Saudi Arabia does not use indigenous technology. It is technology acquired in recent years from outside countries. It is in this connection, worth noting again that Tanzania was way ahead of these middle east countries as far as developing a modern education, agriculture, as well as developing cultural and commercial interaction with the rest of the world are concerned. The country’s capability to deliberately acquire and effectively utilize relevant tech-
nologies therefore is not in question. Brazil is another relevant country to look at. Besides playing wonderful football, Brazilians engage in more important activities that should be of interest to Tanzanians, which we can learn from them. Brazil is correctly perceived to be a relatively wet country, receiving an average 1416mm of rainfall per year which is almost twice the rain average of Tanzania’s (at 892mm per year). The rainforest cover of Brazil is referred to as the Lungs of the Earth, supplying 20 percent of the world’s oxygen from recycling carbon dioxide. Why then is wet Brazil be more keen on irrigation than drier Tanzania? The answer is simple: the more water (frequently) in your soil the more planting seasons you can have in one year. So when the seasons for rain end in different parts of their country, the Brazilians turn to irrigation to ensure they get an extra season in a year to produce different crops. Besides being able to create extra farming seasons in a year, another result of irrigation in Brazil
What next after farmers heed leaders’ call to produce more?
From The Ground
Angel Navuri
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Email: angelnavuri@yahoo.com
is that the country has been able to grow its fuel. For many years now, Brazil has used biofuel mostly from sugar cane to replace fossil fuels to run engines. Another important example for Tanzania to look at is Australia. This is a developed country that has done so well in agriculture, yet it happens to be the driest continent on earth. Receiving an insignificant less-than-250mm of rain per year, Australia is one of the driest places in the world. It would just be desert wasteland if the people has sat back and kept waiting for rain from the skies. How then did the country develop into such an agriculture power? Irrigation. Australia started tapping its underground water quite a while ago. In 1884, they dispatched a minister to go to the equally dry California to negotiate with irrigation experts who had done a commendable job there. Those were not days of jet airliners, telephones and email, but slow ships and letters that took months to get delivered between countries. The
Australian minister located two Canadian brothers who had been instrumental in developing the Californian irrigation systems and took them down south to repeat their expert feats. They did not disappoint. Today, underground water has been used to create wonders on the farm and one of the most developed economies of the world. Taking stock of what Tanzania has and what it lacks today to make a breakthrough in Agriculture can be quite revealing. The suitable soil is there. The experts are also available, with Sokoine University alone having produced nearly 200 PhDs in different agricultural disciplines. These people should know precisely where to procure the inputs that the country does not yet have. The governmental political will is there, as testified to by the launching of Kilimo Kwanza. The country is part of the international finance networks through which necessary capital can be mobilized to take care of mechanisation, other inputs like fertilisers and infrastructure. And the markets, both internal and external are available.
The biggest problem would be water. That is what gets blamed most times for crop failure; the delay of the rains. But Tanzania has no shortage of water. The problem is that Tanzanian farmers keep looking to the skies for the unpredictable water from the rains. The government had gone as far as looking for rainmakers from Thailand. Under Kilimo Kwanza, the time has come for the farmers to stop looking at the sky, and start looking at the ground. That is where their work is. And that is where the water is. In many cases, the water lies only ten metres below the surface. It could even be dug by hand, hoisted up by bucket and rope, as the farmers wait for better technology. In addition, there is a dense network of large and small rivers all over the country. The country also has deep lakes that contain a lot of water. These should provide water through the year during different seasons, while better methods of diversion, distribution and returning the water to the
main channels are developed and spread. The country already has many irrigation experts. What is needed is to rapidly spread their relevant knowledge and the basic principles of irrigation. These include identification of the source of water say, river, lake, dammed rain collection or underground. The next is identification of the suitable power to tap and distribute the water to different locations of the farmlands. Also important are the materials to enhance distribution, be they pipes or canals. The choice of materials here should take care of erosion, corrosion. At all times also, valve systems are important to control the flow and its direction. It is also important at all times to know the texture and content of the soils being irrigated. All these vary from area to area, but there should be no shortage of qualified people to help the farmers in different parts to take advantage of the huge water resources the country has.
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In order for the economy to develop properly, it is imperative to have agriculture developed. In this regard, irrigation should take the top priority. This is the fundamental way to have a high level of stable production; because even if you have fertilizers and seeds but no water, you can’t do anything
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Prof Emmanuel Mbiha, Sokoine Univeristy’s leading Agricultural Economist
Tuesday
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kil
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guardi
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His Excellency Hiroshi Nakagawa, Japan Ambassador to Tanzania
arketing is very important to farmers. If there is no access to market then there is no need for all the efforts in making sure that productivity in this country has increased. The current outcry of the Rukwa farmers who are stuck with a million tonnes of grain that they cannot be allowed to sell to neighbouring countries is indeed baffling. because no storage for bulky products and a farmer cannot harvest a lot of tones to sell in the local market this doesn’t make sense. If we take a good look at livestock keeping, we see that Tanzania doing poorly the diary industry mostly because of the low rate at which Tanzanians drink milk compared to Uganda and Kenya. But at the same time as access of market is growing due to the implementation of the East African community, our struggling farmer need ideally to be able to come into a community with ability to purchase higher quality seed more efficiently, procure fertilizer inputs more efficiently and to market more strongly. Some things that worked for us in the past need to be revisited and adjusted to suit modern times. Some of us strongly believe in organizing farmers in cooperatives and member-based organizations as the best way forward. Through such cooperation, farmers enjoy financing, or they can develop new products, or they can get access to financial markets or deal more effectively with suppliers as well buyers. There also needs to be better protection of property rights, smoother business procedures and a bit more transparency in governance. However there are very little chances of farmers’ rights over land being protected if their interest is not registered. Ti this end, farmers must be encouraged to get their land surveyed and properly registered.
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
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Tuesday 16 March, 2010
MAJI WEEK
The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
MAJI WEEK
EU welcomes Kilimo Kwanza
Services offered :
In what specific areas of agriculture is EU assistance channelled? This sum of money for agriculture is ADDITIONAL to the support that Tanzania receives through the EU General Budget Support programme for which €305 million was committed at the end of last year.. In terms of the focus of our support to agriculture, the lion's share in recent times has been given to agricultural research institutions, such as the Tea Research Institute (TRIT) and the Coffee Research Institute (TACRI). The principle behind this is that if properly managed and integrated with smallholder farmers' needs, agricultural research can provide the driving force for re-vitalising and modernizing the sector. We have no doubt that the funds we have channeled into coffee, tea research have made Tanzanian research institutes in these areas leaders on the African continent. By emphasizing the links with smallholder needs, real incomes can increase, and Tanzania can be come more competitive. We are currently exploring whether to expand such support to horticulture, bananas, sugar and other crops. What other plans are there for EU to participate in agriculture development? Another area where we feel we can and should make a difference is related to support for agricultural trade. A new programmes was launched in 2009 with an initial budget of € 9.4 million to support traderelated agriculture, and more specifically enhancement of product quality and competitivity as well as improved linkages to markets. Smallholder farmers and their associations are at the forefront of this program. We feel that if steps are taken to provide for their needs, a new impetus can be given to improving productivity and competition. The correct role of government is crucial here. Its job is to provide the right enabling environment, to set standards, to ensure quality and regulatory controls. So the programme will help with these aspects too, notably in relation to the development of appropriate national trade policies and standards. The EC is also active in the sugar sector (€ 6 million) with the objective of increasing the efficiency of smallholder sugar production and safeguarding the environment. A big component of this programme has been on investment in infrastructure, notably rural roads, primarily to reduce the costs of farmers bringing their products to the processing plants. In fact already in the
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water projects (irrigation). On top of all this support the European Union is also very interested in stimulating private sector development and to facilitate the creation of a business environment for both Tanzanian and European companies to invest in the sector in Tanzania.
Is there any interest or development for EU in Kilimo Kwanza? Kilimo Kwanza comes at a moment when countries around the world arefocusing on national food security, and climate change is move high up on the agenda. Tanzania as we know has an enormous hidden agriculture potential, many have called it the sleeping giant. The level of agriculture production and productivity has been recognized by the Tanzania National Business Council to be extremely low compared to its potential. The possibilities for improvement are huge. Therefore, the EU welcomes any wake-up call to the sector. The EU welcomes the fact that Kilimo Kwanza wants to attract private sector investment and wants to create and promote public private partnership. Nonetheless, the challenges remain as a recent report pointed out. Doing Business (WB) shows that Tanzania is still ranking low and that the situation worsened in 2010, dropping 5
Tanzania has duty free and quota free access for all agricultural products to the European Union under the EACEU Economic Partnership Agreement
the country in a wide range of districts, such as Shinyanga, Moshi, Mtwara, Mbeya, Rukwa, etc. The selected projects all have to demonstrate that they will make a measurable difference to food security in the areas where they are working. A large number of activities are foreseen, covering many different food crops. For example the project to be implemented by MVIWATA will concentrate on the development of district market premises, whereas the one to be implemented by Concern World Wide will focus on increasing food production and in strengthening the farmer field schools. On top of the existing portfolio the Commission is continuously launching competitive calls for proposals for Non State Actors in different agriculture related areas. Just recently there has been an innovative call for multi-country projects on agriculture research and development. The EU has several on-going EU-funded non state-actors programs in Tanzania in sectors that contribute to the development of agriculture, such as bio-energy projects or
positions in the rank compared to 2009. And another report on the Agriculture Enabling Environment (AgCLIR), a series of challenges and reforms are recommended to the government if it wants to attract the private sector. Nonetheless, the EU is looking with great attention at the proposed policy and it will support it in different fronts, including through our sector budget support to the roads-transport sector. We are also exploring the possibility of financing elements of the existing ASDP programme.
World Bank view is that Tanzania should not apply heavy mechanization in agriculture because it will reduce employment in the sector. Does the EU share the same view? This is not our understanding of the World Bank's position. The issue of mechanization in agriculture is very broad. It can range from the use of ploughs and hoes to very sophisticated forms of agriculture that use heavy machinery, planes and helicop-
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Head of Delegation of European Commission in Tanzania, Ambassador Tim Clarke
The EU is looking with great attention at (the proposedpolicy) Kilimo Kwanza and it will support it in different fronts, including through our sector budget support to the roads-transport sector
ters. Mechanization is not an isolated activity; it is part of a complex interaction with other factors, such as agronomic, social and technical aspects and its interaction with institutional aspects like agriculture education, extension services and research. And of course, infrastructure and markets are equally important. The use of mechanization has to be seen in the context of improving production and productivity. The EU supports measures to increase agricultural production in Tanzania. However, it is important to say that the choice of mechanization is an economic decision by the farmer and he/she will have to choose if mechanization (and what kind) will help him/her in achieving
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What is the size of EU support to the agriculture sector in Tanzania? The European Union has been supporting the development of agriculture in Tanzania for many decades. Indeed, at one stage Tanzania was the recipient of the EU's biggest agricultural support programme in Africa. But even today, the support is considerable: if you only take the period from 2002-2008 over €45 million were spent on direct support to the sector. And this support is likely to increase in the next few years due to the importance that the agriculture sector is due to play in the Government's next poverty reduction strategy policy- MKUKUTA 2.
past the European Commission in Tanzania has contributed actively to the improvement of rural infrastructure, for example for coffee growers in 8 regions a total of 662 km of unpaved roads have been upgraded into gravel standard. Overall, in its projects as well as in its policy dialogue, the EC aims at creating an enabling environment for farmers to benefit from research, agriculture policy and market access. It is worth noting that Tanzania has duty free and quota free access for all agricultural products to the European Union under the EAC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. Another area where we are increasing significant support is on Food Security. Last year, in response to the international financial crisis which had a negative impact on government's ability to provide resources for agriculture, the EU made a special allocation of 1 Billion Euro to support Food Security. Out of this package, Tanzania was allocated € 32.4 million, out of which € 20 million will go to Budget support and €12.4 million will be provided to Non State Actors. At the beginning of this year eight NGO projects were financed from the €12.4 million allocation, and they have started their activities. The projects will be spread throughout
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Head of Delegation of European Commission in Tanzania, Ambassador Tim Clarke talks to the Guardian’s Angel Navuri on EU support to agriculture sector in Tanzania
the final results. This economic decision relates also very much to the costs of using manual labour. In Europe today the costs associated with the use of manpower (and its availability) are just too high, therefore even small size farmer have to choose to go for full mechanization. This is still not the case in Tanzania. The EU has been working in the tea sector in Tanzania for the past decades and until recently most of the tea estates here still using manpower for most of their activities, including plucking. The situation will change the moment that it will be more economic to perform the same activity with mechanized clippers. The same is true for the harvest of sugar cane or many other
agricultural activities in Tanzania. Once this will take place employment will be naturally reduced in the sector. But it can lead for example to growth in agriculture related sectors such as the agro processing that will tend to grow once agriculture production increases.
EU support to Tanzania Between 2002 and 2008, European Commission’s support to Tanzania was financed through the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) where a total of € 345 million was committed to Tanzania in support of its Poverty Reduction Strategy and its successor, the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction, better known by its Swahili acronym, MKUKUTA. The focal sectors for EC support under the 9th EDF were Transport Infrastructure, Basic Education, and Budget Support. The budget support envelope amounted to € 160 million or about 50% of the total support provided to Tanzania under the 9th EDF. The new aid package of a total of € 555 million for Tanzania from the 10th European Development Fund was launched in 2008. This programme covers a period of six years from 2008 – 2013. The European Union foresaw a total of € 300 million of direct budget support, € 139 million to build capacity in transport and infrastructure. A further package of € 55 million will be earmarked to support trade and regional integration. The remaining funds will support non-state actors, core reforms and research in the fields of energy and climate change. A total of € 385 million was approved in 2009 as the Annual Action Programme for Tanzania for budget support and sectoral budget support (infrastructure, communication and transport) programmes that will enable pro-poor economic growth. Under this a sum of € 305 million will be provided in form of enhanced general budget support through a so-called "Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Contract," which is a predictable financial commitment over a period of six years from 2009 to 2015. Secondly, a total amount of € 70 million euro has been allocated to a Road Transport Sector Budget Support Programme. The European Union has been active for decades in this sector by funding key trunk roads, ports and other key infrastructure facilities in Tanzania. This programme is the first of its kind in the country and will contribute directly to the funding of roads infrastructure.
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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA
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Concern Worldwide has been working in Tanzania since 1978. It is one organisation that is fully on the ground, focusing on livelihoods and health, ensuring that people have dependable access to food and safe water. Concern Spokesman Audax Arukonge to the Guardian’s Angel Navuri about Kilimo Kwanza’s prospects of benefitting the people.
Q: Do you see Kilimo Kwanza as set for success? What factors cause Kilimo Kwanza failure Answer: There is an expectation among bureaucrats that Kilimo Kwanza will succeed. The common Tanzanians are sceptical based on the past experience on such initiatives. However Kilimo Kwanza has come at the right time when everyone is increasingly concerned about climate change and its impact on agriculture, food price crisis and its implications on poor nations and poor people in particular. One could say that Kilimo Kwanza is set to succeed if the current level of enthusiasm is kept high among actors, relevant and adequate resources are mobilized and if there is high quality of local agricultural plans and quality and meaningful involvement of non-state actors. At the same time, smallholder farmers are expected to have cultural shift – and produce for market, viewing farming like any other business
Tuesday 16 March, 2010
WHAT OTHERS SAY and harness every available opportunity to maximise the returns. Last but most important is addressing governance issues and organisational culture at all levels. This is crucial to ensure policies and practices are geared towards promoting responsibility among public officials to ensure the available resources are prudently and efficiently allocated to execute intended objectives. I would think, Kilimo Kwanza might fail if the above are not addressed and; if we have same solution for the whole country without considering the differences in agroecological zones and social-cultural issues among farming communities..
A Concerned assessment of Tanzania’s agriculture
Q: What guarantee can make Kilimo Kwanza success? Answer: The single factor that will guarantee Kilimo Kwanza success lies within various actors joining effort and working together for a common goal.We would image higher and deep consultations among stakeholders including the private sector at national, regional and local level would be spring-board for brilliant ideas to make Kilimo Kwanza (KK) a success; rather than well worded policies or undefined budget allocation.
Q: World Bank expressed opposition to agriculture mechanization in Tanzania on grounds that it would curtail employment, what do you say about it? Answer: We have a different view on the World Banks’s argument. There are four major issues to consider: First: Tanzanians, especially smallholder farmers own and practice farming on small land holdings. On average a common smallholder farmer owns land parcels of 2-3 acres – which are scattered in some cases, for such small plots mechanisation may not be appropriate as their first need. Second: Due to small land parcels which are scattered it might be difficult to use tractors (for instance to cultivate such plots). Furthermore if we would like to target the smallholder and medium scale farmers we need to bear in mind that on average the power tillers costs between Tshs 4 million and Tshs 8 millions, and tractors
Concern Spokesman Audax Arukonge
might cost between Tshs 20 millions up to Tshs 50 millions – depending on the sophistication levels. Third: How many smallholder farmers are willing or able to take a loan to invest in expensive equipment? While we consider the mechanization, we can emphasis on oxenization and use of animal power, and progressively advance to use of power tillers and tractors. After all oxens are relatively cheap, might be more versatile with smallholder farmers compared to tractors but still improving agriculture. Forth: It is not simply a matter of buying tractors and power tillers as this equipment will need fuel and maintenance, the farmers need to be able to realise enough
profit to pay for these items and have them in place near their farms. Experience has shown that providing equipment without considering fuel and maintenance is unsustainable. Lastly: The issue of employment cannot be curtailed simply by promoting agricultural mechanization only. I think the fact that agricultural sector employs over 80% of rural Tanzanians doesn’t mean they are happy and they produce proportionally to their labour (regardless of technology). Farmers and inhabitants in rural areas can engage in off-farm activities if we are seriously promoting value chain, enhancing rural electrification and agro-processing industries.
I would urge the World Bank to think about promoting projects on rural electrification and support private companies investing in value chain as well as agro-processing projects in rural Tanzania. Q: Which aspects of Tanzania agriculture can be transformed without foreign assistance? Answer: Politically we need to think and plan based on available resources. Tanzania is endowed with many natural resources, we should be able to harness them and collect enough revenues to assist finance agriculture in the short and medium terms. If we reduce pilferage of resources and workout our priorities, Tanzania can finance most of agricultural interventions. For example, we should be able to pay our extension staff well, subsidise inputs and supervise the implementation at all levels and invest in infrastructures. This doesn’t require foreign assistance. We can also think untapped resources such as livestock, cattle in particular. Tanzania is the third country in terms of having cattle heard. Why cant we invest in use of such animals that are readily available and support continue supporting our own producers with improved inputs? We need to scale-up the use of animal power. This doesn’t require foreign intervention! The government can focus on polices that develop the local market; these intra and inter-regional trading blocks as a way of maximizing our comparative advantage. Therefore promotion of regional markets does not demand for foreign assistance. An example of this is edible oils, a vital food supply that Tanzania meets with imports, why not stimulate these crops with productions or processing subsidy?
Q: What kind of foreign assistance is crucial for Tanzania in agriculture? Answer: On a short term and medium term foreign assistance can be use to finance big investment such as irrigation schemes. I would also think foreign assistance can come in form of rural financing (in short and medium terms) while building capacities for local price institutions to support smallholder and farming communities on medium term basis. Investors, in particular local investors involved in farming, value chain and agro-process/processors as well as traders could benefit from foreign assistance on a medium term so as promote entrepreneurial skills and interests among Tanzanians for the sustainability of interventions.
Q: The relevant of government in agriculture in Tanzania to which extent has the government been useful to Tanzanian farmers? In what percentage? Answer: Tanzanian government puts a lot of priority on agriculture. Over the last eight (8) years the sector budget has been increasing on nominal terms. Its share of the national budget has also been increasing to reach the African Union (AU) target of 10%. The sector budget grew from 2.95% to 5.78% of the national budget the fiscal years 2001/02and 2005/06 respectively. Currently the agricultural budget share is over 7% of the national budget. So this is one of evidences on continued commitment by the government to prioritise agriculture. Q: What interventions have been useful to Tanzanian farmers? Answer: This question is rather difficult. I think farmers are better positioned to respond to it. But on general terms, interventions geared towards opening irrigation canals, weirs and irrigation schemes in general are very good. Also, issue of animal health and animal & crop breeding centres (including research institutions) are important as well. Although subsidized input (fertilizer in particular) is useful, but its administration is very challenging and there is a feeling and anecdotal evidence that in many cases it ends in the hands of the people who are not the real target.
DAWASA in ambitious expansion of services
As preparation for the water week got underway, the Guardian Kilimo Kwanza Angel Navuri caught up with DAWASA’s Community Liaison Officer Neli Msuya and asked her about the Authority’s activities
Q: Briefly tell us about DAWASA’s operations in terms of people served, area covered and achievemnts A: DAWASA’s service area is the City of Dar es Salaam, and the towns of Kibaha and Bagamoyo; The population served is approximately 4 million people. Current water demand stands at 450,000 cubic metres per day while the current water production is 300,000 cubic metres a day. Currently, our water sources River Kizinga, River Ruvu and deep boreholes. The production capacities are 182,000 m3/day from Lower Ruvu, 82,000 from Upper Ruvu, 9,000 from Mtoni (Kizinga) and 27,000 from boreholes. There is a great challenge of provision of water services, and in response to this DAWASA has developed a water supply improvement plan. The main features of the water supply improvement plan include: Lower Ruvu expansion: Upgrading the existing Lower Ruvu treatment plant from 182,000 to 270,000 cubic meters per day: Construction expected to start July 2010. Upper Ruvu Expansion: Upgrading the Upper Ruvu to from 82,000 to 140,000 cubic meters per day. Designs to start soon. Underground water development (Kimbiji and Mpera) Phase one: To drill 20 deep wells at Kimbiji and Mpera which will have the capacity of producing 260,000 cubic meters a day (Kimbiji 12 and Mpera 8).
DAWASA’s Community Liaison Officer Neli Msuya
Commencement date of the project is expected to be in September, 2010. Phase II works will start after completion of phase I works and will consist of 8 wells in Kimbiji and 2 in Mpera with total capacity of 130,000 cubic meters a day. Construction of the Kidunda Dam to regulate the river: Short listed firms submitted their proposal on July 21, 2009 which is being reviewed. The nine months study assignment is expected to start in February.
Q: What kind of sensitization do your customers and the general public need and are you doing it? A: We need the general public to understand that water is a social good and a necessity to any living organism. Although it is a gift form God it goes through a process that costs a lot before it is potable (that is usable or drinkable). In this regard we appeal to the general public to pay for the services. We further call upon all water users in Dar es Salaam, Kibaha and Bagamoyo to be guardians of the infrastructure. Although most people now have joined DAWASA and DAWASCO in this endeavor, there are still some people who are vandalizing the water
and sewerage system. We would like to thank the public for the support so far and we request them to call the authorities through number 0753 791333 to report any act of vandalism of the water and sewerage system ie theft of fittings.
Q: Is that water flowing in the pipes safe to drink or does it need further treatment? A: Water from the treatment plants is treated to the required WHO standards, however due to the fact that some areas are still served with the old network we do advise customers to boil drinking water. Water from our community boreholes is also checked periodically to ensure that it is safe for human consumption. Q: What are the planned benefits of Kidunda Dam can it be used for irrigation? A: The original plan was that Kidunda dam would be for multi purpose ie, water supply, fishing, irrigation, transportation etc. Subsequently to enable all those activities to be carried out satisfactorily, the dam would have had to be larger, but so would have been the environmental/social impacts as well as costs.