Cooperation on Agricultural Sector Development between JICA and Tanzania

What you need to know:

During  this year’s Nane Nane exhibition, JICA’s cooperation with Tanzania will be demonstrated at Nane Nane grounds in Simiyu (irrigation development, Agricultural Routine Data System (ARDS), SHEP), Dodoma (private sector interventions: sweet potato products), Morogoro (promotion of market-oriented production: vanilla), and Arusha and others (paddy cultivation in both irrigated and rain-fed conditions).

Japan puts emphasis on the agriculture development in Africa. From August 28th to 30th, 2019, Japan together with United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and African Union Commission (AUC) will host the 7th Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD 7) in Yokohama, Japan. 

During that Conference, 7, agriculture development in Africa will be highlighted with several initiatives, such as Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD), Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment & Promotion (SHEP), Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa (IFNA). In Tanzania, JICA’s support for agriculture development are in line with those initiatives, particularly with CARD and SHEP.

During  this year’s Nane Nane exhibition, JICA’s cooperation with Tanzania will be demonstrated at Nane Nane grounds in Simiyu (irrigation development, Agricultural Routine Data System (ARDS), SHEP), Dodoma (private sector interventions: sweet potato products), Morogoro (promotion of market-oriented production: vanilla), and Arusha and others (paddy cultivation in both irrigated and rain-fed conditions).

Notes:

CARD: an initiative launched at TICAD IV (2008). The initiative aims at supporting the efforts of African countries to double rice production in ten years.

SHEP: an approach to introduce to producers a new concept of “Grow to Sell” to replace the “Grow and Sell”, concept which was developed in 2006 in Kenya. As of 2018, SHEP has been implemented in 23 countries, including Malawi, Uganda, and Rwanda in East Africa.

IFNA: an initiative which was launched at TICAD VI (2016) aimed at improving nutrition in Africa.

JICA’s series of cooperation projects started with “Kilimanjaro Region Agricultural Development Project” in 1974. It was followed by the development of “Lower Moshi Irrigation Scheme” and “Kilimanjaro Agricultural Development Center” (currently, Kilimanjaro Agricultural Training Center (KATC).

According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rice production in Tanzania has increased about 13 times, from 223,000t (1974) to 2,871,963t (2017). JICA’s support for the irrigation facility development and its operation and maintenance have contributed to boosting rice production in Tanzania. Together with the improvement of infrastructure, capacity building in irrigation management plays significant roles in promoting rice industry development in Tanzania.

Since monitoring and Evaluation for evidence–based decision-making has become more important, in the 2000s, JICA expanded its activities to strengthening government’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system. It has contributed to the development of web-based information system called Agriculture Routine Data System (ARDS).

In response to the increase of needs of promoting value addition and market-oriented agriculture, JICA launched a project for promoting SHEP approach (TANSHEP) in 2019. TANSHEP disseminates to producers a new concept of “Grow to Sell” as a replacement of “Grow and Sell” concept.

JICA understands that the intervention of the private sector is another indispensable driving force for the country’s development. Several private Japanese companies have, in that regard, come to Tanzania with JICA’s support. Farmers are now engaging themselves in producing agricultural products, such as new varieties of sweet potato for processing, in market-oriented manners and in conserving natural forest through sustainable timber harvesting, focusing on the local valuable timber, African blackwood, for musical instruments such as clarinet and oboe.

In addition to the key cooperation areas depicted above construction works for the Project for Development of Malindi Fish Landing and Marketing Facilities in Zanzibar commenced this year. In addition,  JICA, in collaboration with the Fisheries Education and Training Centre (FETA) in Bagamoyo, organized  a 5 weeks’ training for Somali trainees for the development of fishery industries in Somalia, which is regarded as an important industry in terms youth employment.

Rice production increased by over 40% through TANRICE2

For almost half a century from 1974, the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania and JICA have been working together in the field of rice industry development. Currently, TANRICE2, which started in 2012, has been conducting a series of training for extension officers and farmers on rice farming in irrigated as well as in rain-fed conditions all over the country (covers 90 irrigation schemes and 77 rain-fed areas).

 

Farmers learned other important topics such as irrigation scheme management, gender, marketing and agricultural machinery. These technologies and skills resulted in about 40% increase of rice production under the irrigated condition, 50% increase under rainfed lowland condition and 140% increase under rainfed upland conditions. The training programs are organized by Kilimanjaro Agricultural Training Center (KATC) and in the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institutes (MATIs) at Igurusi, Ilonga, Mtwara, Tumbi, Ukiriguru, and Kizimbani Agricultural Training Institute (KATI) in Zanzibar.

 

SSIDP & TANCAID2:  Irrigation development following CGL is a key for the better production

The National Irrigation Commission (NIRC) and JICA have been promoting the participatory irrigation scheme development in line with the Comprehensive Guidelines for Irrigation Scheme Development (CGL). Approximately 32 million USD have been provided for the construction/rehabilitation of small-scale irrigation facilities including head works and canals of up to 107 irrigation schemes in the entire country.

Through these measures an increase of around 20,000 ha of irrigated area is expected to be achieved. In addition to   infrastructure improvement, irrigation engineers and technicians of NIRC and district offices, and irrigators’ organization (IO) received training on proper project management, and operation and maintenance of the facilities as the activities of TANCAID2. In July 2019, the best-performed IO was selected among the eight representatives from entire country. The best IOs are proud of their performance and good practices and will disseminate the same to other IOs.    

ARDS: Agricultural data on the ground is ready to use for evidence-based decision-making

The Agricultural Sector Development Programme (ASDP) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Thematic Working Group has been working with the JICA Project Team. The project aims at improving the availability of agricultural information through the Agriculture Routine Data System (ARDS) since 2008. In ARDS, standardized formatted data flow from the villages/wards to the districts has been developed. The data is entered into the web portal and integrated into reports, eventually allowing users to capture, process, and share the agricultural data through a web-based application. Using this system over 90% of agricultural information data across the country has been updated every month since 2017. Considering that the submission rate of such data stood at 40% in 2015, it is a remarkable progress in two years. Now, ARDS Web Portal is in full operation across the country, wherever there is Internet connection.

TANSHEP:  Learning from the markets for the better profit

TANSHEP started in January 2019 aiming to introduce Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment & Promotion (SHEP) to producers. Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Tanga Regions are the primary target areas of the project. Selected farmers’ groups participate in several training programmes to implement the SHEP in their farms and become demonstrators of the benefit of farming with “Grow to Sell” concept marking a shift from the previous “Grow and Sell” concept. The training encourages the producers to make their own decision on how, when and what volume to produce by checking the marketability of the products before sowing. 

Dried Sweet Potato Project: New methods of agri-processing

A Japanese company, Terunuma Katsuichi Shoten Co. Ltd. and its affiliated company Matoborwa Co. Ltd. in Dodoma, have been engaged in dried sweet potato processing business adopting Japanese technologies since 2014. They are on the final stage of officially introducing sweet potato varieties brought from Japan. Those high-yield improved varieties will benefit farmers as well as Matoborwa Co. Ltd. which buys the quality produce from them. Matoborwa Co. Ltd. also introduced sweet potato storage management methods developed in Japan.

The Vanilla Project: Vanilla production as the extra income source in Uluguru Mountains

Since 2017, Sokoine University of Agriculture, and Global Environmental Forum, a Japanese NGO, have jointly been providing appropriate management skills of vanilla cultivation and processing in selected villages of Uluguru Mountains, Morogoro. Vanilla is one of the several crops cultivated by farmers in their gardens; others are clove, peppers and other spices. Farmers learn how to utilize resources fully without extra inputs through the training programmes, workshops and seminars on vanilla production as well as supplying of vanilla seedlings. The target villages in Uluguru Mountains are Tawa, Kibumgo juu, Kibogwa and Kibwe.

YAMAHA project: Mpingo is the only material for manufacturing clarinet and Oboe

Yamaha, a Japanese musical instrument manufacturer, in collaboration with a local organization, Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI), facilitates the community-based sustainable forest management in Kilwa. Mpingo is commonly known as African Blackwood, which is one of the most important species in the production of musical instruments. Since 2017, they have been investigating the potential of developing the sustainable forest focusing on Mpingo planting as well as harvesting.

Over 3,000 seedlings cultivated by the local villagers, have already been transplanted to their own community forest for 2 years, and more than 80% survivals have been observed in the periodical monitoring. Yamaha is also trying to procure Mpingo timbers harvested from local community forests; they see large potential of Kilwa as one of the major sustainable production sites of Mpingo in the world. The long-term management should be required for implementing the valuable forestry, and the community-based sustainable forest management visualizes such long-term value of the forest.

Reforming Malindi Fish Landing and Marketing Facilities in Zanzibar

Japanese contractor started rehabilitating the old erosion-prone Malindi Fish Landing and Marketing Facilities to contribute to the provision of safer and more hygienic working condition for the users of Malindi landing site, thus promoting stable supply of quality fish to the people of Zanzibar.

Fishery Training for Somali personnel towards peace building

JICA, in collaboration with the Fisheries Education and Training Centre (FETA) in Bagamoyo, organized a 5-weeks’ fisheries training for Somali personnel. Somali trainees had an opportunity to have lectures on fishery modules including the use of very important and potential Fishing Aggregating Devices (FADs). Hosting Somali training at FETA supports the Somali government’s efforts in Job creation especially for young people in peace building and more importantly, in conflict prevention and avoidance of the country relapsing into conflicts.