Fast-tracking+delivery+and+scaling+of+agricultural+technologies+in+Tanzania

= Enhancing partnership among Africa RISING, NAFAKA and TUBORESHE CHAKULA Programs for fast-tracking delivery and scaling of agricultural technologies in Tanzania =


 * About the project:**

Funded by the USAID Mission in Tanzania, this interdisciplinary and inter-institutional project aims to addressing small holder’s needs in the semi-arid and sub-humid zones of Tanzania. Candidate technologies are being identified and evaluated through participatory, on-farm approaches by Africa RISING for scaling (see box 1). Scaling of the best performing technologies is conducted through a network of NAFAKA,TUBOCHA and other institutional grassroots organizations, creating an opportunity for mainstreaming into wider rural development programs, beyond Africa RISING’s current zones of influence.

The project targets small holder farming communities as end-users. It also aims to reach development institutions working with farming communities to not only improve their system productivity and resilience, but also to reach regional district level where prioritization decisions that transcend scales are made. Specific objectives of the project are:


 * To benefit a targeted 47,000 households, diversifying and increasing their food supply and income sources, and improving quality of degrading smallholder cropland,
 * To expand the area under improved rice production technologies (increased by 116,000), and
 * To increase both maize and rice yields per unit area by 50%.

agronomic practices (GAP) for rice, small scale mechanization and, together, with packaged information on better agronomic practices. ||
 * **Box 1. Selected “business-case” technologies for scaling** ||
 * ** Better crops: ** Choice from 6 maize, 2 common bean, 2 groundnut, 2 soybean, 2 rice and 7 vegetable improved varieties. ||
 * ** Better crop management: ** Choice from phosphate and other fertilizers, Mbili intercropping, good
 * ** Natural resource conservation: ** Tied ridges and ripping hard pans that conserve soil moisture and minimize erosion. ||
 * ** Improved household nutrition: **Introduction of locally adapted and nutrient-rich vegetables for increased household nutrition. ||
 * ** Reduced food waste and spoilage: ** Packaged program of storage in hermitic bags following improved mechanical shelling and solar drying of grain. The chaff for both rice and maize shelling wastes can be converted into briquettes. ||
 * ** Community empowerment: ** Agricultural communities and institutions involved in outreach will have their scaling skills enhanced for implementing this study and for posterity. ||

Some of the technologies above form variants of integrated management packages. These improved packages together with the resultant increased yields will be conveyed to local partner input stockists, processors and marketing networks, allowing farmers to better access needed inputs and new crop varieties, add value to their products and sell at better prices thereby ensuring sustainable technology adoption.


 * Geographical focus**

The developmental activities addressing the project objectives will be conducted in the primary regions of Manyara, Dodoma and Morogoro, with planned extension to Iringa and Mbeya, all in the Feed the Future’s Zone of Influence (ZOI). The main agro-ecology of the study regions is savannah, grading from semi-arid through to the derived zoning. This will contribute to construction of “recommendation domains” against which agricultural technologies will be targeted.


 * Figure 1: **Map of the derived agro-ecological zones of Tanzania showing the location of the project action regions
 * Source: ** IITA-GIS Unit


 * Project Activities:**
 * **Establishing baseline conditions** - generate and map agro-ecological and market characteristics of the ZOI to inform scaling and adoption operations.
 * **Introducing and promoting better crops** - introduce and promote improved varieties of food crops to farm households in a manner that complements their on-going farm enterprises, contributes to sustainable agricultural resource management and offers nutritional and marketing advantages.
 * **Seed delivery** - promoting new and improved seed as well as delivery.
 * **Scaling better crop management technologies** - Disseminate best-bet agronomic management packages around the most promising new crop varieties suited to widely representative agro-ecological zones.
 * **Conserving natural resources** - protect land and water resources and foster agricultural biodiversity through the introduction of soil and water management practices.
 * **Improving household nutrition** - Increase food security and improve household nutrition among the most vulnerable households and their members, especially women and children by introducing vegetables.
 * **Reducing food waste and spoilage ** - introduce and promote post-harvest management technologies for maize, rice, legumes and selected vegetable crops to reduce losses and bring quality up to market standards


 * Major Outputs and outcomes**
 * Improved access by over 40000 smallholder maize farmers to new crop varieties that are proven to be disease resistant, pest tolerant and drought tolerant as well as contributing to better nutrition and increased income.
 * Over 100000 ha of better managed land through accelerated adoption of recent technology breakthroughs that promote sustainable management and protect land and water resources.
 * Farmer and outreach institutions will become strengthened, offering a wider range of services to members. These services include local extension advice based upon informed diagnosis of production and nutritional constraints.


 * Key contacts**
 * Irmgard Hoeschle-Zeledon, Africa RISING Coordinator West, East and Southern Africa - I.Hoeschle-Zeledon@cgiar.org
 * Dr Mateete Bekunda, Chief Scientist Africa RISING East and Southern Africa - M.Bekunda@cgiar.org