Organic farming has the potential to yield a bountiful harvest—domestic and international—for Tanzanian farmers. Alongside community initiatives to raise awareness with stakeholders, the government must take the necessary steps to support this budding prospect for environmental empowerment.

Organic farming can be defined as a holistic and ecologically balanced approach to crop and animal production. It is a  production system that sustains the health of soil, ecosystems, and people; it relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. This article looks at how the organic agriculture sector in Tanzania can serve as a  tool for empowerment and education, given the benefits offered by the organic subsector; the article will examine the opportunities and challenges, as well as the potential role of Kaima Tanzania.  

Even though organic agriculture has been practiced in  Tanzania for quite a long time, one must make an important distinction between two forms of organic agriculture, namely organic agriculture by default and organic agriculture by design. Organic agriculture by default refers to that form of organic agriculture that occurs naturally, mainly because small-scale farmers cannot afford the costs associated with modern synthetic farming. Organic agriculture by design,  on the other hand, is the form of organic agriculture that results from the awareness, among stakeholders and the general public, of the benefits that organic farming presents. 

According to the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement  (TOAM), the organic agriculture subsector in Tanzania presents a range of opportunities, including crop production and animal production. But so far the focus has been on crop production alone! Promoting and improving the organic animal production field will expand opportunities in the organic farming sector. The organic processing of organic products, to add value, is another opportunity that can be explored. As awareness among the general public and stakeholders increases, the demand for professional services in the sector will also increase; this will also create opportunities for service providers in the sector.  

Do organic farmers have reliable markets for their products?  According to TOAM, organic products are in demand in  Tanzania, especially with the expatriate community including tourists, the health conscious, and clients with health concerns such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The main supply sources for the organic markets in Tanzania are retail outlets and processing outlets, which include specialized processing outlets and non-specialized processing outlets. 

Given the fact that the local market is still underdeveloped,  most organic products made in Tanzania at present are aimed at the export market in developed countries,  especially the United States and Europe. About 200 million tons of organic products are said to be exported from Tanzania annually. 

What are the major challenges faced by the organic agriculture sector in Tanzania? The principal constraints in the Tanzania organic farming sector can be categorized into economic and trade-related constraints; policy, regulatory and bureaucratic constraints; and infrastructural constraints. Economic and trade constraints refer to the high cost of certain #cation, which make it di! cult for small-scale farmers to certify their goods as organic products. This prevents the farmers from accessing international markets, which contributes to slowing the pace of the development of the organic market in the country. 

Policy, regulatory and bureaucratic constraints emerge from the lack of clear policies to guide organic production, 

as well as complex and costly regulations and certification processes. Collectively, this means that producers receive little support from the government, and experience complications in obtaining the required permits. This undermines the development of the organic industry sector in Tanzania.  

Lack of effective and well-developed infrastructures and marketing systems leads to organic farmers not fully benefiting from organic farming. For example, products that are organic by default are mixed with products that are organic by design and goods produced by other means,  such as those produced with the use of synthetic fertilizers.  

This makes it difficult to trace and identify products that are purely organic in origin. Poor infrastructure leads to irregular or late supply of orders; unprofessional packaging and labeling,  as well as the paucity of certified products all, contribute to slowing the expansion of Tanzania's organic products markets. 

Given the opportunities that the local, regional and international markets present for organic products, the organic sector in Tanzania can serve as a source for empowerment and education. First, a fully developed organic farming industry can promote economic empowerment by creating employment and generating income for various actors along the production chain. Actors in the sector include farmers,  processors, transporters, and service providers. 

Given the need for awareness creation and capacity creation and development for actors in the organic agriculture sector in  Tanzania, it is evident that there is a need for education and training programming that will empower the various actors through knowledge of the best organic farming practices,  principles of environmental protection and preservation,  the nutritional and health values of organic products, and value addition for organic products.

“Given the opportunities prevailing in the organic  agriculture sector in Tanzania, the next question to ask is: what should be the  role of Kaima Tanzania, as far as organic farming is concerned?”

Given the opportunities prevailing in the organic agriculture sector in Tanzania, the next question to ask is: what should be the role of Kaima Tanzania, as far as organic farming is concerned? The promotion of a sustainable organic farming sector fits well with the education and training, as well as the economic model of Kaima Tanzania; it also works well with its goal of using sustainable agriculture to reduce youth unemployment and poverty. Significant effort will be needed, however, to change existing farming practices from subsistence to commercial agriculture.  

Through its economic and education model adopted from the Kaima farm in Israel, Kaima Tanzania provides an opportunity for the transformation of agricultural practices in Tanzania.  Already, with support in the form of seed money from Glocal at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Matanel Foundation, Kaima Tanzania has successfully shown the way towards addressing these challenges. This program will continue to support the education of young Tanzanians in the use of the recommended organic seeds and fertilizers required to establish their crops and access the markets.  

What can be done to ensure a sustainable organic sector in Tanzania? The first suggested strategy for addressing these challenges and fostering a sustainable organic sector in Tanzania would be to link theories and practices. As demonstrated by Glocal's support for the Kaima pilot farm project, there is a need for the government, agencies, and partners to link agricultural theories and practices, to address the challenges that combine to undermine the development of the agriculture sector and the organic subsector. Awareness creation and education with the general public and other organic farming stakeholders are also needed, to ensure that all actors are aware of the benefits of organic farming, and the roles they can play in fostering the development of the organic sector in Tanzania. 

Support for organic farmers' groups would also help farmers to access information, technology, and other resources connected to the organic farming sector. Improvement in the production, regulatory, and marketing systems for organic products will lead to increased quantity and quality of organic products.

Finally, there is a need to enhance collaboration and knowledge-sharing between stakeholders, to enhance the impact of interventions. This author believes that a fully developed organic agriculture sector in Tanzania can provide many economic and educational opportunities for farmers and other actors in the sector. As an organization focusing on promoting sustainable agriculture as a tool for the reduction of youth unemployment and poverty, Kaima Tanzania can play a very significant role in this direction.

 

Fabian Bulugu