Where We Work : Tanzania : Livelihood Development

How to improve harvests of poor farmers

We have a major focus on agriculture in Tanzania.

 In Tanzania, 98% of economically active women in rural areas are involved with some form of agriculture practice. Therefore, we are targeting 27,000 poor Tanzanian women farmers to help them improve crop harvests and increase livestock yields.

Our programme is designed to increase agricultural output, decrease livestock mortality, raise farm income, and increase rural employment. This programme has been operating for three years now, and has expanded steadily across the mainland and neighbouring island of Zanzibar.

We train hundreds of volunteer agriculture and livestock extension workers with farming experience selected from our microfinance groups.

 We provide them with:

• Intensive training for two weeks
• Microfinance loans to increase yields on their own farms
• Supplies to assist other farmers such as high quality seeds and vaccines

Through this network of extension agents, we are able to reach out to tens of thousands of small scale farmers. We introduce and demonstrate modern farming practices. 

Specialist branch officers and community organisers are appointed to train the extension workers, model farmers, poultry and livestock volunteers, and livestock artificial inseminators as well as supervise their activities.

 We support this with extensive agriculture research and development.

 “If you introduce high quality seeds, improved irrigation, and modern farming techniques, it is possible to increase production significantly here in Tanzania. Our programme focuses on training, technology transfer, and demonstration farms.”

-Md. Taslim Reza, Manager, Agriculture Extension Programme

 Agriculture and livestock extension workers

We extend our services to tens of thousands of farmers across Tanzania by setting up a wide network of entrepreneurial extension agents – supervised by specialist BRAC field staff.

 Model Farmers/Agricultural Workers

The primary outreach agents for the agricultural activities are the self-employed model farmers/agricultural workers. They are selected from within the BRAC microfinance groups.

They are responsible for identifying and training farmers within the community under the following categories:

• General farmers
• Horticulture nurseries
• Vegetable and kitchen farmers

 They make additional income from selling improved seeds and other agricultural inputs.

 Poultry and Livestock Volunteers

Poultry and Livestock Volunteers operate outreach activities as self-employed volunteers. They are experienced poultry and livestock women farmers selected from BRAC microfinance groups.

 Once trained, they generate income from charging fees for their services. They help identify and train:

• Model poultry farmers
• Broiler rearers
• Model cow rearers

 Artificial Insemination Workers

BRAC’s Artificial Insemination Workers are trained for three weeks on how to run their own artificial insemination services as a franchise business.

 We provide them with initial supplies, and they operate at a village level to help produce calves that give higher milk yields.

 Agriculture Research and Development

The use of high quality seeds is essential for increasing crop harvests. Our research aims to identify and develop good quality seeds and contribute to raising the income of small and marginal farm households.

 We currently have two research centres – one in the slightly cooler, hilly climate of Arusha, and one in the coastal climate of Zanzibar at a government research station.

Our research helps to validate and improve information and farming inputs, which are then transferred through our volunteer agricultural extension workers and model farmers to the general farming community.

 In Tanzania, BRAC is a pioneer of maize and vegetable seed production. We are conducting adaptability trials for maize, rice, and vegetables in Arusha and rice trials in Zanzibar.

 Examples of demonstration crop trials:

• Hybrid and composite maize
• Hybrid and improved rice varieties
• Local and new high yielding rice varieties
• Tomatoes (local and exotic varieties)
• Pumpkin
• Brinjal
• Vegetables
• Amaranth