AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS

STAWI aims at making Tanzania the country with highest agriculture production because of its huge landmass that can lead the net productivity and exportation of food across East Africa, Africa as well as globally. Due to extended mechanized farming, Tanzania has a gross development in crop production and seed improvement as compared to other nations across the region. The following are proposed areas of concentration in order to advance in agricultural development in Tanzania: Permaculture, Biodynamic farming, Hydroponics and Aquaponics, Urban agriculture, Agroforestry and food forests,  Polycultures and crop rotation, Heirloom and older varieties, Natural animal raising, Natural pest management and Mulching and manual weed control.

Agricultural inputs are defined as products permitted for use in agricultural farming. These include Fertilizers and Chemicals, Seeds and Planting Materials and Machinery and Equipment. The important inputs that STAWI helps SHFs to access are seeds, fertilizers, machinery and labor. STAWI connects farmers to Inputs supplies who supply relevant and certified inputs to the soil that are essential for plant growth. Agricultural inputs supplied by different suppliers under STAWIs connections help a farmer’s upcoming yield. Consumable inputs are usually natural materials that will be “consumed” by the crops to improve crop production

Food insecurity and poverty are the main challenges Tanzania faces today. With that challenging case, Tanzania has recorded a continuous agricultural sector growth and is considered largely self-sufficient in its main staple crop maize. Cassava, paddy, sorghum and bananas are the second most widely grown staple crops by farmers. As it has been stated above, 68 percent of Tanzania’s work force engage in farming, both in rural and urban areas. In that case, STAWI helps farmers to access best knowledge regarding Land /soil preparation. Seeds and Seeding /sowing, application of manure and fertilizers, irrigation processes and systems, weeding, harvesting, processing, storage, marketing as well as formation of Strong Cooperative Societies

As Extension Education being the process of teaching farmers on how to live better by learning ways to improve their farm, home and community institutions, Agricultural Experts from STAWI provide advice, information, and other support services to farmers to enable them to improve the productivity of their crop and animal production and thereby their farm and non-farm incomes. Likely, STAWI links agricultural extension agencies with specific or sometimes unique expertise to farmers as well.

Agricultural processing as means of transforming, packaging, sorting, and or grading Agricultural products/commodities into goods that are used for intermediate or final consumption including goods for nonfood use, almost agricultural products as food are processed in some way before they get eaten/consumed. Processing makes food more edible, palatable, and safe and preserves it so it can be eaten beyond the harvest season. The main, and probably the primary, the reason is to increase the shelf life of the product and thereby ensure food safety and even readiness and ease for being transported from one place to another.  For effective assurance to maintain food qualities and standards, STAWI works with the Food Standard Agency to help farmers to process raw traditional commodities into final packed products using newly available technologies.

Agricultural products cannot be stored indefinitely. Storage as means of a phase for post-harvest system during which the products are kept in such a way as to guarantee food security in terms of qualities other than during periods of agricultural production, the maximum storage duration (the shelf life) of agricultural products varies and can be only a few days for some fruits and vegetables, a couple of months for most tubers and bulbs, and over a year for dried food grains or other seeds.  To manage proper storage of agricultural products STAWI helps farmers to develop strategies of accessing and or own best storage facilities.

STAWI helps farmers to access three basic forms of distinguished storage as follows: Open storage, semi-open storage and closed storage systems. STAWI gives more knowledge to farmers regarding storage such by considering / knowing effects of unfavorable conditions such as excessive hot and humid climatic conditions to crops in the storage units.

Transport affects agricultural marketing because it is the only means by which farmers can transport their produce to the market. Poor transportation in the rural areas has resulted in low productivity, low income and a fall in the standard of living of rural residents and high rate of poverty.

Common transportation systems for agricultural products include highways, railroads, and waterways. Highway – Semi trucks travel everywhere from farms, county highways, and interstate roads to carry freight. There are several types of semi-trailers to use depending on the type of freight that needs to be transported.

There are many issues and constraints associated with transportation of agricultural produce. Seasonally blocked roads or slow and infrequent transport services, along with poor storage, can lead to losses as certain products deteriorate quickly over time. STAWI helps farmers to choose the best way of transporting their products while maintaining the quality.

STAWI works with donors to support implementation of women/youth agribusinesses programs that have the potential to smallholder farmers to improve agricultural productivity and increase household income and food security. We provide wide range of expertise in value chains and production systems to increase access to better quality agricultural inputs, improved seeds varieties, introduce new farming systems including post harvesting programs and techniques deriving from different agribusiness models. Moreover, STAWI facilitate farmers to Scale Up Innovative Agribusiness Programs by acting as a bridge to provide a missing link between what former projects has ended and what has remained as potential desires for the target group intended to achieve in time. This include Agro-Apps Development.

STAWI works with donors to support implementation of women/youth agribusinesses programs that have the potential to smallholder farmers to improve agricultural productivity and increase household income and food security. We provide wide range of expertise in value chains and production systems to increase access to better quality agricultural inputs, improved seeds varieties, introduce new farming systems including post harvesting programs and techniques deriving from different agribusiness models. Moreover, STAWI facilitate farmers to Scale Up Innovative Agribusiness Programs by acting as a bridge to provide a missing link between what former projects has ended and what has remained as potential desires for the target group intended to achieve in time. This include Agro-Apps Development.

Agricultural insurance access and acceptability are constrained by limited knowledge of agricultural insurance products and packages by most smallholder farmers (SHFs) and giant farmers in Tanzania regardless of their production capacities. With this evidence, STAWI collaborates with several financial institutions and insurance companies to incentivize this augment to capacitate smallholder farmers to understand the importance of agriculture insurance in Tanzania. Food security stakeholders in collaboration with insurance companies and the government of Tanzania can consider bundling attractive and secured insurance products /packages to improve uptake and accessibility of agricultural insurance in Tanzania.

As agriculture insurance is being evidenced to be a serious issue in Tanzania, STAWI ….