Kilimo Kwanza

Tuesday 16 March, 2010

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The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA Tuesday 16 March, 2010

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DAWASA in ambitiousexpansion of servicesDAWASA’s servicearea is the City of Dares Salaam, and thetowns of Kibaha andBagamoyo;The popula-tion served is approxi-mately 4 millionpeople. Current waterdemand stands at450,000 cubic metresper day...

A Concerned assessment ofTanzania’s agricultureThere is an expectationamong bureaucrats thatKilimo Kwanza will succeed.The commonTanzanians aresceptical based on the pastexperience on such initia-tives. However KilimoKwanza has come at theright time when everyone isincreasingly concernedabout climate change...

European Union welcomesKilimo KwanzaThe European Union hasbeen supporting the devel-opment of agriculture inTanzania for many decades.Indeed, at one stageTanza-nia was the recipient ofthe EU's biggest agricul-tural support programmein Africa. But even today,the support is consider-able...

Enhanced water supply is keyto Green RevolutionIt is not a secret. Mechanisa-tion, finance, marketing, fer-tilisers, extension services,agro-processing are all-im-portant. But the provisionof water to the farmlands isparamount and all the othercomponents, singly or com-bined, cannot make any sig-nificant change before morereliable water supply...

By Guardian Staff Writer

Since the productionof The Guardian andNipashe KilimoKwanza started lastOctober, we havebeen consistentlyasking the question;what is the key thatcan unlock the gen-eral development ofTanzanian Agricul-ture? In other words,what is the singlemost important com-ponent that must beaddressed for KilimoKwanza to take off ina viable, modernway? All experts,opinion leaders,diplomats and ordi-nary farmers we havetalked to give thesame answer: Water.

So it is not a secret.Mechanisation, finance,marketing, fertilisers, ex-tension services, agro-pro-cessing are all-important.But the provision of waterto the farmlands is para-mount and all the other

components, singly or combined, cannotmake any significant change before morereliable water supply is provided.

Fortunately, Tanzania is not an islandon its own planet. There already severalrelevant models in the world from whichthe country can draw, without having to re-invent the wheel. Although there have beenmany successful irrigation programmes allover the world, there are three particularcases namely Saudi Arabia, Brazil andAustralia that are quite relevant forTanzania to take a closer look at at thispoint in time.

Over the past three decades or so, thekingdom of Saudi Arabia has created someten million hectares of green, farming landon its desert landscape to produce grain,vegetables and livestock feeds. This hasbeen achieved by drilling and pumping wa-ter from underground, over average verti-cal distances of one kilometre! Tanzanianfarmers who are suffering crop failure dueto delayed rains need to think of this sincethe depth at which underground water inthis country lies in many areas is a mereten metres. But one kilometer! Ten millionhectares watered in 30 years with waterfrom a kilometer (one thousand metres)down!

Two other sources of farming water inSaudi Arabia are equally interesting. Firstis trapped rainwater. In those places wheresome occasional rainfall is received, the wa-ter is not allowed to go to waste. As muchof the run off as possible is collected in damtanks and used to irrigate gardens formonths later. Taming rain water when itcomes at the ‘wrong’ time is very relevant toTanzania, where hectares upon hectares offreshly planted farms were recently

WaterfirstinsideKilimoKwanza

Suggest to many an eliteTanzanian to make someinvestment in agricultureand they will look for allmanner of excuses whyfarming in this country isnot a worthwhile venture.Top on the list of excuses

will be heaping blame on the governmentfor not providing this and not providingthat to the farmers.

Then arguments about likely loss incase of bad weather will follow. Then mar-kets, then lack of financial services and soon. Only shortage of time can stop the list-ing of “why we cannot”.

The question is when will the elite startsaying “yes we can” in order to give themuch needed inspiration to the peasantfarmers who see them as opinion leaders?To say that agriculture cannot succeed is tocondemn the country to eternal povertyand misery since 80 percent of the peopledepend on it directly for their livelihood.

Such a defeatist mentality is whatkeeps some societies backward, even whenthey have plenty of resources around them.Their chances of getting a better life thenlie with the coming in of foreigners who canexploit the resources and employ the own-ers of the land as underpaid workers.

That is not the fate the elite wishes forthe majority of their fellow Tanzanians, af-ter half a century of independence. If theelite can encourage the rural folk in the ar-eas they come from to embrace modernagricultural production, then a start willhave been made.

For it all starts in the mind. The peas-ants must be prompted to think big, thinkmodern and think smart. Once enough ofthem develop the appetite for modernfarming, natural and market forces will di-rect resources towards that sector.

Moods and mentalities can be infec-

tious. If the elite voice a negative attitudeto agriculture, it is bound to affect even thepeople who live off the land.

So instead of looking for ways of im-proving their farms, they will look for waysof escaping from the land and take up pet-ty activities in urban areas. At a time whenthere is a healthy demand for agriculturaloutputs worldwide, it is tragic to see thatmore people are inclined to leave the landthan those who want to head back to it.

One of the sadder examples of ‘modern’life in Tanzania is the number of youngnewly employed people who are takingloans to buy unproductive toys like salooncars which are parked over 90 percent ofthe time as the owners are seated in officeor sleeping at home.

The other ten percent that the enginesare running the cars are stuck in frustrat-ing traffic jams, adversely affecting theowners’ mood and long-term health.

The example of the acquisition of luxu-ry cars through bank loans is an indicatorthat finance is available, and it depends onwhat the borrower considers important.

A loan injected in an agricultural ven-ture is an option, just like a saloon car. Theonly difference is that the agricultural loanis bound to make you richer, while a non-commercial vehicle will always be a cost tothe owner.

The elite have an option of looking atagriculture as an opportunity or as a bur-den. Whatever option the critical mass ofthe elite leans towards, the future of thecountry will depend on it.

Wallace MauggoEditor

Stop thisdefeatistmentality

Art & Design: KN Mayunga

Because of the importance of agri-culture in our development, onewould expect that agriculture andthe needs of the agricultural pro-ducers would be the beginningand the central reference point ofall our economic planning. Instead,we have treated agriculture as if itwas something peripheral, or justanother activity in the country, tobe treated at par with all the oth-ers without having any specialclaim upon them…… We are ne-glecting Agriculture. If we are not,every ministry without exception,and every parastatal and everyparty meeting would be workingon the direct and indirect needs ofthe agricultural producers…… Wemust now stop this neglect of agri-culture. We must now give it thecentral place in all our develop-ment planning. For, agriculture isindeed the foundation of all ourprogress

Babawe Taifa, the late MwalimuJulius K. Nyerere – 1982

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CONTINUES PAGE 4

REFLECTIONon

KILIMO

The Guardian KILIMO KWANZA

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4 COVER STORY

washed in the north of the country.But the more interesting source of

Saudi Arabian farms is urban disposal. Alltowns, those in Tanzania included, disposeof tonnes upon tones of wastewater every-day. Homes, factories institutions generatemillions of litres of water that has beenused for different processes. The Saudistrap and clean as much of this as they canand deliver it to gardens where it is re-quired and does wonderful work.

It is worth noting that just like thedrilling and distribution systems used toget water from kilometres below the sur-face, Saudi Arabia does not use indigenoustechnology. It is technology acquired in re-cent years from outside countries. It is inthis connection, worth noting again thatTanzania was way ahead of these middleeast countries as far as developing a mod-ern education, agriculture, as well as devel-oping cultural and commercial interactionwith the rest of the world are concerned.The country’s capability to deliberately ac-quire and effectively utilize relevant tech-

nologies therefore is not in question.Brazil is another relevant country to

look at. Besides playing wonderful football,Brazilians engage in more important activ-ities that should be of interest toTanzanians, which we can learn from them.Brazil is correctly perceived to be a rela-tively wet country, receiving an average1416mm of rainfall per year which is al-most twice the rain average of Tanzania’s(at 892mm per year). The rainforest coverof Brazil is referred to as the Lungs of theEarth, supplying 20 percent of the world’soxygen from recycling carbon dioxide. Whythen is wet Brazil be more keen on irriga-tion than drier Tanzania?

The answer is simple: the more water(frequently) in your soil the more plantingseasons you can have in one year. So whenthe seasons for rain end in different parts oftheir country, the Brazilians turn to irriga-tion to ensure they get an extra season in ayear to produce different crops. Besides be-ing able to create extra farming seasons ina year, another result of irrigation in Brazil

is that the country has been able to grow itsfuel. For many years now, Brazil has usedbiofuel mostly from sugar cane to replacefossil fuels to run engines.

Another important example forTanzania to look at is Australia. This is adeveloped country that has done so well inagriculture, yet it happens to be the driestcontinent on earth. Receiving an insignifi-cant less-than-250mm of rain per year,Australia is one of the driest places in theworld. It would just be desert wasteland ifthe people has sat back and kept waitingfor rain from the skies. How then did thecountry develop into such an agriculturepower? Irrigation.

Australia started tapping its under-ground water quite a while ago. In 1884,they dispatched a minister to go to theequally dry California to negotiate with ir-rigation experts who had done a commend-able job there. Those were not days of jetairliners, telephones and email, but slowships and letters that took months to getdelivered between countries. The

Australian minister located two Canadianbrothers who had been instrumental in de-veloping the Californian irrigation systemsand took them down south to repeat theirexpert feats. They did not disappoint.Today, underground water has been usedto create wonders on the farm and one ofthe most developed economies of the world.

Taking stock of what Tanzania has andwhat it lacks today to make a breakthroughin Agriculture can be quite revealing. Thesuitable soil is there. The experts are alsoavailable, with Sokoine University alonehaving produced nearly 200 PhDs in differ-ent agricultural disciplines. These peopleshould know precisely where to procure theinputs that the country does not yet have.The governmental political will is there, astestified to by the launching of KilimoKwanza. The country is part of the interna-tional finance networks through which nec-essary capital can be mobilized to take careof mechanisation, other inputs like fertilis-ers and infrastructure. And the markets,both internal and external are available.

The biggest problem would be water.That is what gets blamed most times forcrop failure; the delay of the rains. ButTanzania has no shortage of water. Theproblem is that Tanzanian farmers keeplooking to the skies for the unpredictablewater from the rains. The government hadgone as far as looking for rainmakers fromThailand.

Under Kilimo Kwanza, the time hascome for the farmers to stop looking at thesky, and start looking at the ground. Thatis where their work is. And that is wherethe water is. In many cases, the water liesonly ten metres below the surface. It couldeven be dug by hand, hoisted up by bucketand rope, as the farmers wait for bettertechnology.

In addition, there is a dense network oflarge and small rivers all over the country.The country also has deep lakes that con-tain a lot of water. These should providewater through the year during differentseasons, while better methods of diversion,distribution and returning the water to the

main channels are developed and spread.The country already has many irriga-

tion experts. What is needed is to rapidlyspread their relevant knowledge and thebasic principles of irrigation. These includeidentification of the source of water say, riv-er, lake, dammed rain collection or under-ground.

The next is identification of the suitablepower to tap and distribute the water to dif-ferent locations of the farmlands. Also im-portant are the materials to enhance distri-bution, be they pipes or canals. The choiceof materials here should take care of ero-sion, corrosion.

At all times also, valve systems are im-portant to control the flow and its direction.It is also important at all times to know thetexture and content of the soils being irri-gated.

All these vary from area to area, butthere should be no shortage of qualifiedpeople to help the farmers in different partsto take advantage of the huge water re-sources the country has.

Enhanced water supply is key to Green Revolution

FROM PAGE 3

The first considera-tion should bewater. Utilizingwater should bethe first prioritythen infrastructureand others will fol-low. Water qualityis important forthe success of agri-culture, and properagriculture man-agement practicesare necessary tomeet domesticwater quality stan-dards and providefor health and theecosystem. Coop-eration betweenagriculture and do-mestic water usersis necessary to pro-vide adequatewater quality forboth parties

Prof Emmanuel Mbiha,Sokoine Univeristy’sleading AgriculturalEconomist

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In order for the economy to develop properly, itis imperative to have agriculture developed. Inthis regard, irrigation should take the top prior-ity. This is the fundamental way to have a highlevel of stable production; because even if youhave fertilizers and seeds but no water, you can’tdo anything

His Excellency Hiroshi Nakagawa,Japan Ambassador to Tanzania

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kilimokwanza@guardian

.co.tz

Marketing is very im-portant to farmers.If there is no accessto market thenthere is no need for

all the efforts in making sure thatproductivity in this country has in-creased. The current outcry of theRukwa farmers who are stuckwith a million tonnes of grain thatthey cannot be allowed to sell toneighbouring countries is indeedbaffling. because no storage forbulky products and a farmer can-not harvest a lot of tones to sell inthe local market this doesn’t makesense.

If we take a good look at live-stock keeping, we see thatTanzania doing poorly the diaryindustry mostly because of the lowrate at which Tanzanians drinkmilk compared to Uganda andKenya.

But at the same time as accessof market is growing due to theimplementation of the EastAfrican community, our strugglingfarmer need ideally to be able tocome into a community with abili-ty to purchase higher quality seedmore efficiently, procure fertilizerinputs more efficiently and to mar-ket more strongly.

Some things that worked forus in the past need to be revisitedand adjusted to suit modern times.Some of us strongly believe in or-ganizing farmers in cooperativesand member-based organizationsas the best way forward. Throughsuch cooperation, farmers enjoy fi-nancing, or they can develop newproducts, or they can get access tofinancial markets or deal more ef-fectively with suppliers as wellbuyers.

There also needs to be betterprotection of property rights,smoother business procedures anda bit more transparency in gover-nance. However there are very lit-tle chances of farmers’ rights overland being protected if their inter-est is not registered. Ti this end,farmers must be encouraged to gettheir land surveyed and properlyregistered.

From The Ground

Email: [email protected]

Angel Navuri

Whatnext afterfarmersheed

leaders’ callto producemore?

Saudi Arabia has in 30 years created 10 million hectares of green farms in the desert using water pumpedfrom 1 kilometres under the ground. In Tanzania such water lies only ten metres below the surface.

The Guardian KILIMO KWANZATuesday 16 March, 2010

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Head ofDelegation ofEuropeanCommission inTanzania,Ambassador TimClarke talks tothe Guardian’sAngel Navurion EU support toagriculture sectorin Tanzania

What is the size of EU support tothe agriculture sector in Tanzania?

The European Union has been support-ing the development of agriculture inTanzania for many decades. Indeed, at onestage Tanzania was the recipient of theEU's biggest agricultural support pro-gramme in Africa. But even today, the sup-port is considerable: if you only take the pe-riod from 2002-2008 over €45 million werespent on direct support to the sector. Andthis support is likely to increase in the nextfew years due to the importance that theagriculture sector is due to play in theGovernment's next poverty reduction strat-egy policy- MKUKUTA 2.

In what specific areas of agricul-ture is EU assistance channelled?

This sum of money for agriculture isADDITIONAL to the support thatTanzania receives through the EU GeneralBudget Support programme for which €305million was committed at the end of lastyear.. In terms of the focus of our support toagriculture, the lion's share in recent timeshas been given to agricultural research in-stitutions, such as the Tea ResearchInstitute (TRIT) and the Coffee ResearchInstitute (TACRI). The principle behindthis is that if properly managed and inte-grated with smallholder farmers' needs,agricultural research can provide the driv-ing force for re-vitalising and modernizingthe sector. We have no doubt that the fundswe have channeled into coffee, tea researchhave made Tanzanian research institutesin these areas leaders on the African conti-nent. By emphasizing the links with small-holder needs, real incomes can increase,and Tanzania can be come more competi-tive. We are currently exploring whether toexpand such support to horticulture, ba-nanas, sugar and other crops.

What other plans are there for EUto participate in agriculture develop-ment?

Another area where we feel we can andshould make a difference is related to sup-port for agricultural trade. A new pro-grammes was launched in 2009 with an ini-tial budget of € 9.4 million to support trade-related agriculture, and more specificallyenhancement of product quality and com-petitivity as well as improved linkages tomarkets. Smallholder farmers and their as-sociations are at the forefront of this pro-gram.

We feel that if steps are taken to pro-vide for their needs, a new impetus can begiven to improving productivity and compe-tition. The correct role of government iscrucial here. Its job is to provide the rightenabling environment, to set standards, toensure quality and regulatory controls. Sothe programme will help with these aspectstoo, notably in relation to the developmentof appropriate national trade policies andstandards.

The EC is also active in the sugar sec-tor (€ 6 million) with the objective of in-creasing the efficiency of smallholder sugarproduction and safeguarding the environ-ment. A big component of this programmehas been on investment in infrastructure,notably rural roads, primarily to reduce thecosts of farmers bringing their products tothe processing plants. In fact already in the

past the European Commission inTanzania has contributed actively to theimprovement of rural infrastructure, for ex-ample for coffee growers in 8 regions a totalof 662 km of unpaved roads have been up-graded into gravel standard.

Overall, in its projects as well as in itspolicy dialogue, the EC aims at creating anenabling environment for farmers to bene-fit from research, agriculture policy andmarket access. It is worth noting thatTanzania has duty free and quota free ac-cess for all agricultural products to theEuropean Union under the EAC-EUEconomic Partnership Agreement.

Another area where we are increasingsignificant support is on Food Security.Last year, in response to the internationalfinancial crisis which had a negative im-pact on government's ability to provide re-sources for agriculture, the EU made a spe-cial allocation of 1 Billion Euro to supportFood Security. Out of this package,Tanzania was allocated € 32.4 million, outof which € 20 million will go to Budget sup-port and €12.4 million will be provided toNon State Actors.

At the beginning of this year eightNGO projects were financed from the €12.4million allocation, and they have startedtheir activities.

The projects will be spread throughout

the country in a wide range of districts,such as Shinyanga, Moshi, Mtwara,Mbeya, Rukwa, etc. The selected projectsall have to demonstrate that they will makea measurable difference to food security inthe areas where they are working. A largenumber of activities are foreseen, coveringmany different food crops. For example theproject to be implemented by MVIWATAwill concentrate on the development of dis-trict market premises, whereas the one tobe implemented by Concern World Widewill focus on increasing food production andin strengthening the farmer field schools.

On top of the existing portfolio theCommission is continuously launchingcompetitive calls for proposals for NonState Actors in different agriculture relatedareas. Just recently there has been an in-novative call for multi-country projects onagriculture research and development. TheEU has several on-going EU-funded nonstate-actors programs in Tanzania in sec-tors that contribute to the development ofagriculture, such as bio-energy projects or

water projects (irrigation).On top of all this support the European

Union is also very interested in stimulatingprivate sector development and to facilitatethe creation of a business environment forboth Tanzanian and European companiesto invest in the sector in Tanzania.

Is there any interest or develop-ment for EU in Kilimo Kwanza?

Kilimo Kwanza comes at a momentwhen countries around the world arefocus-ing on national food security, and climatechange is move high up on the agenda.Tanzania as we know has an enormous hid-den agriculture potential, many have calledit the sleeping giant.

The level of agriculture production andproductivity has been recognized by theTanzania National Business Council to beextremely low compared to its potential.The possibilities for improvement are huge.Therefore, the EU welcomes any wake-upcall to the sector.

The EU welcomes the fact that KilimoKwanza wants to attract private sector in-vestment and wants to create and promotepublic private partnership. Nonetheless,the challenges remain as a recent reportpointed out. Doing Business (WB) showsthat Tanzania is still ranking low and thatthe situation worsened in 2010, dropping 5

positions in the rank compared to 2009.And another report on the AgricultureEnabling Environment (AgCLIR), a seriesof challenges and reforms are recommend-ed to the government if it wants to attractthe private sector.

Nonetheless, the EU is looking withgreat attention at the proposed policy and itwill support it in different fronts, includingthrough our sector budget support to theroads-transport sector. We are also explor-ing the possibility of financing elements ofthe existing ASDP programme.

World Bank view is that Tanzaniashould not apply heavymechanizationin agriculture because it will reduceemployment in the sector. Does the EUshare the same view?

This is not our understanding of theWorld Bank's position. The issue of mecha-nization in agriculture is very broad. It canrange from the use of ploughs and hoes tovery sophisticated forms of agriculture thatuse heavy machinery, planes and helicop-

EU welcomesKilimo Kwanza

Services offered :

ters. Mechanization is not an isolated activ-ity; it is part of a complex interaction withother factors, such as agronomic, social andtechnical aspects and its interaction withinstitutional aspects like agriculture educa-tion, extension services and research. Andof course, infrastructure and markets areequally important.

The use of mechanization has to be seenin the context of improving production andproductivity. The EU supports measures toincrease agricultural production inTanzania. However, it is important to saythat the choice of mechanization is an eco-nomic decision by the farmer and he/shewill have to choose if mechanization (andwhat kind) will help him/her in achieving

the final results. This economic decision re-lates also very much to the costs of usingmanual labour. In Europe today the costsassociated with the use of manpower (andits availability) are just too high, thereforeeven small size farmer have to choose to gofor full mechanization. This is still not thecase in Tanzania.

The EU has been working in the teasector in Tanzania for the past decades anduntil recently most of the tea estates herestill using manpower for most of their ac-tivities, including plucking. The situationwill change the moment that it will be moreeconomic to perform the same activity withmechanized clippers. The same is true forthe harvest of sugar cane or many other

agricultural activities in Tanzania. Oncethis will take place employment will be nat-urally reduced in the sector. But it can leadfor example to growth in agriculture relat-ed sectors such as the agro processing thatwill tend to grow once agriculture produc-tion increases.

EU support to TanzaniaBetween 2002 and 2008, European

Commission’s support to Tanzania was fi-nanced through the 9th EuropeanDevelopment Fund (EDF) where a total of €345 million was committed to Tanzania insupport of its Poverty Reduction Strategyand its successor, the National Strategy forGrowth and Poverty Reduction, betterknown by its Swahili acronym, MKUKU-TA.

The focal sectors for EC support underthe 9th EDF were TransportInfrastructure, Basic Education, andBudget Support. The budget support enve-lope amounted to € 160 million or about50% of the total support provided toTanzania under the 9th EDF.

The new aid package of a total of € 555million for Tanzania from the 10thEuropean Development Fund waslaunched in 2008. This programme covers aperiod of six years from 2008 – 2013. TheEuropean Union foresaw a total of € 300million of direct budget support, € 139 mil-lion to build capacity in transport and in-frastructure. A further package of € 55 mil-lion will be earmarked to support trade andregional integration. The remaining fundswill support non-state actors, core reformsand research in the fields of energy and cli-mate change.

A total of € 385 million was approved in2009 as the Annual Action Programme forTanzania for budget support and sectoralbudget support (infrastructure, communi-cation and transport) programmes that willenable pro-poor economic growth. Underthis a sum of € 305 million will be providedin form of enhanced general budget supportthrough a so-called "MillenniumDevelopment Goal (MDG) Contract," whichis a predictable financial commitment overa period of six years from 2009 to 2015.Secondly, a total amount of € 70 millioneuro has been allocated to a Road TransportSector Budget Support Programme.

The European Union has been activefor decades in this sector by funding keytrunk roads, ports and other key infra-structure facilities in Tanzania. This pro-gramme is the first of its kind in the coun-try and will contribute directly to the fund-ing of roads infrastructure.

Tanzania hasduty free andquota free accessfor all agriculturalproducts to theEuropean Unionunder the EAC-EU EconomicPartnershipAgreement

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The EU is lookingwith great atten-tion at (the pro-posedpolicy)Kilimo Kwanza andit will support it indifferent fronts, in-cluding throughour sector budgetsupport to theroads-transportsector

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Head of Delegation of European Commission in Tanzania, Ambassador Tim Clarke


8 WHAT OTHERS SAYConcern Worldwidehas been working inTanzania since 1978. Itis one organisationthat is fully on theground, focusing onlivelihoods and health,ensuring that peoplehave dependable ac-cess to food and safewater. ConcernSpokesman AudaxArukonge to theGuardian’s AngelNavuri about KilimoKwanza’s prospects ofbenefitting the people.

Q: Do you see KilimoKwanza as setfor success? What factors cause KilimoKwanza failure

Answer: There is an expectationamong bureaucrats that Kilimo Kwanzawill succeed. The common Tanzanians aresceptical based on the past experience onsuch initiatives. However Kilimo Kwanzahas come at the right time when everyoneis increasingly concerned about climatechange and its impact on agriculture, foodprice crisis and its implications on poor na-tions and poor people in particular.

One could say that Kilimo Kwanza isset to succeed if the current level of enthu-siasm is kept high among actors, relevantand adequate resources are mobilized andif there is high quality of local agriculturalplans and quality and meaningful involve-ment of non-state actors. At the same time,smallholder farmers are expected to havecultural shift – and produce for market,viewing farming like any other business

and harness every available opportunity tomaximise the returns.

Last but most important is addressinggovernance issues and organisational cul-ture at all levels. This is crucial to ensurepolicies and practices are geared towardspromoting responsibility among public offi-cials to ensure the available resources areprudently and efficiently allocated to exe-cute intended objectives.

I would think, Kilimo Kwanza mightfail if the above are not addressed and; if wehave same solution for the whole countrywithout considering the differences in agro-ecological zones and social-cultural issuesamong farming communities..

Q: What guarantee can makeKilimo Kwanza success?

Answer: The single factor that willguarantee Kilimo Kwanza success lieswithin various actors joining effort andworking together for a common goal.Wewould image higher and deep consultationsamong stakeholders including the privatesector at national, regional and local levelwould be spring-board for brilliant ideas tomake Kilimo Kwanza (KK) a success;rather than well worded policies or unde-fined budget allocation.

Q: World Bank expressed opposi-tion to agriculture mechanization inTanzania on grounds that it wouldcurtail employment, what do you sayabout it?

Answer: We have a different view onthe World Banks’s argument. There arefour major issues to consider:

First: Tanzanians, especially small-holder farmers own and practice farmingon small land holdings. On average a com-mon smallholder farmer owns land parcelsof 2-3 acres – which are scattered in somecases, for such small plots mechanisationmay not be appropriate as their first need.

Second: Due to small land parcelswhich are scattered it might be difficult touse tractors (for instance to cultivate suchplots). Furthermore if we would like to tar-get the smallholder and medium scalefarmers we need to bear in mind that on av-erage the power tillers costs between Tshs4 million and Tshs 8 millions, and tractors

might cost between Tshs 20 millions up toTshs 50 millions – depending on the so-phistication levels.

Third: How many smallholder farmersare willing or able to take a loan to invest inexpensive equipment? While we considerthe mechanization, we can emphasis on ox-enization and use of animal power, and pro-gressively advance to use of power tillersand tractors. After all oxens are relativelycheap, might be more versatile with small-holder farmers compared to tractors butstill improving agriculture.

Forth: It is not simply a matter of buy-ing tractors and power tillers as this equip-ment will need fuel and maintenance, thefarmers need to be able to realise enough

profit to pay for these items and have themin place near their farms. Experience hasshown that providing equipment withoutconsidering fuel and maintenance is unsus-tainable.

Lastly: The issue of employment cannotbe curtailed simply by promoting agricul-tural mechanization only. I think the factthat agricultural sector employs over 80%of rural Tanzanians doesn’t mean they arehappy and they produce proportionally totheir labour (regardless of technology).Farmers and inhabitants in rural areas canengage in off-farm activities if we are seri-ously promoting value chain, enhancing ru-ral electrification and agro-processing in-dustries.

I would urge the World Bank to thinkabout promoting projects on rural electrifi-cation and support private companies in-vesting in value chain as well as agro-pro-cessing projects in rural Tanzania.

Q: Which aspects of Tanzania agri-culture can be transformed withoutforeign assistance?

Answer: Politically we need to thinkand plan based on available resources.Tanzania is endowed with many naturalresources, we should be able to harnessthem and collect enough revenues to assistfinance agriculture in the short and medi-um terms. If we reduce pilferage of re-sources and workout our priorities,Tanzania can finance most of agriculturalinterventions. For example, we should beable to pay our extension staff well, sub-sidise inputs and supervise the implemen-tation at all levels and invest in infrastruc-tures. This doesn’t require foreign assis-tance.

We can also think untapped resourcessuch as livestock, cattle in particular.Tanzania is the third country in terms ofhaving cattle heard. Why cant we invest inuse of such animals that are readily avail-able and support continue supporting ourown producers with improved inputs? Weneed to scale-up the use of animal power.This doesn’t require foreign intervention!

The government can focus on policesthat develop the local market; these intraand inter-regional trading blocks as a wayof maximizing our comparative advantage.

Therefore promotion of regional mar-kets does not demand for foreign assis-tance. An example of this is edible oils, a vi-tal food supply that Tanzania meets withimports, why not stimulate these cropswith productions or processing subsidy?

Q: What kind of foreign assistanceis crucial for Tanzania in agriculture?

Answer: On a short term and mediumterm foreign assistance can be use to fi-nance big investment such as irrigationschemes. I would also think foreign assis-tance can come in form of rural financing(in short and medium terms) while buildingcapacities for local price institutions to sup-port smallholder and farming communitieson medium term basis. Investors, in partic-ular local investors involved in farming,value chain and agro-process/processors aswell as traders could benefit from foreignassistance on a medium term so as promoteentrepreneurial skills and interests amongTanzanians for the sustainability of inter-ventions.

Q: The relevant of government inagriculture in Tanzania to which ex-tent has the government been usefulto Tanzanian farmers? In what per-centage?

Answer: Tanzanian government putsa lot of priority on agriculture. Over the lasteight (8) years the sector budget has beenincreasing on nominal terms. Its share ofthe national budget has also been increas-ing to reach the African Union (AU) targetof 10%. The sector budget grew from 2.95%to 5.78% of the national budget the fiscalyears 2001/02and 2005/06 respectively.Currently the agricultural budget share isover 7% of the national budget. So this isone of evidences on continued commitmentby the government to prioritise agriculture.

Q: What interventions have beenuseful to Tanzanian farmers?

Answer: This question is rather diffi-cult. I think farmers are better positionedto respond to it. But on general terms, in-terventions geared towards opening irriga-tion canals, weirs and irrigation schemes ingeneral are very good. Also, issue of animalhealth and animal & crop breeding centres(including research institutions) are impor-tant as well. Although subsidized input(fertilizer in particular) is useful, but its ad-ministration is very challenging and thereis a feeling and anecdotal evidence that inmany cases it ends in the hands of the peo-ple who are not the real target.

A Concerned assessmentof Tanzania’s agriculture

DAWASA in ambitiousexpansion of services

As preparation forthe water week gotunderway, theGuardian KilimoKwanza AngelNavuri caught upwith DAWASA’sCommunity LiaisonOfficer Neli Msuyaand asked her aboutthe Authority’sactivities

Q: Briefly tell us about DAWASA’soperations in terms of people served,area covered and achievemnts

A:DAWASA’s service area is the City ofDar es Salaam, and the towns of Kibahaand Bagamoyo; The population served isapproximately 4 million people. Currentwater demand stands at 450,000 cubic me-tres per day while the current water pro-duction is 300,000 cubic metres a day.

Currently, our water sources RiverKizinga, River Ruvu and deep boreholes.The production capacities are 182,000m3/day from Lower Ruvu, 82,000 fromUpper Ruvu, 9,000 from Mtoni (Kizinga)and 27,000 from boreholes.

There is a great challenge of provisionof water services, and in response to thisDAWASA has developed a water supplyimprovement plan. The main features ofthe water supply improvement plan in-clude:

Lower Ruvu expansion: Upgrading theexisting Lower Ruvu treatment plant from182,000 to 270,000 cubic meters per day:Construction expected to start July 2010.

Upper Ruvu Expansion: Upgrading theUpper Ruvu to from 82,000 to 140,000 cubicmeters per day. Designs to start soon.

Underground water development(Kimbiji and Mpera) Phase one: To drill 20deep wells at Kimbiji and Mpera which willhave the capacity of producing 260,000 cu-bic meters a day (Kimbiji 12 and Mpera 8).

Commencement date of the project is ex-pected to be in September, 2010. Phase IIworks will start after completion of phase Iworks and will consist of 8 wells in Kimbijiand 2 in Mpera with total capacity of130,000 cubic meters a day.

Construction of the Kidunda Dam toregulate the river: Short listed firms sub-mitted their proposal on July 21, 2009which is being reviewed. The nine monthsstudy assignment is expected to start inFebruary.

Q: What kind of sensitization doyour customers and the general publicneed and are you doing it?

A: We need the general public to un-derstand that water is a social good and anecessity to any living organism. Althoughit is a gift form God it goes through aprocess that costs a lot before it is potable(that is usable or drinkable). In this regardwe appeal to the general public to pay forthe services.

We further call upon all water users inDar es Salaam, Kibaha and Bagamoyo to beguardians of the infrastructure. Althoughmost people now have joined DAWASA andDAWASCO in this endeavor, there are stillsome people who are vandalizing the water

and sewerage system. We would like tothank the public for the support so far andwe request them to call the authoritiesthrough number 0753 791333 to report anyact of vandalism of the water and seweragesystem ie theft of fittings.

Q: Is that water flowing in thepipes safe to drink or does it need fur-ther treatment?

A: Water from the treatment plants istreated to the required WHO standards,however due to the fact that some areas arestill served with the old network we do ad-vise customers to boil drinking water.Water from our community boreholes isalso checked periodically to ensure that it issafe for human consumption.

Q:What are the planned benefits ofKidunda Dam can it be used for irriga-tion?

A: The original plan was that Kidundadam would be for multi purpose ie, watersupply, fishing, irrigation, transportationetc. Subsequently to enable all those activi-ties to be carried out satisfactorily, the damwould have had to be larger, but so wouldhave been the environmental/social impactsas well as costs.

Concern Spokesman Audax Arukonge

DAWASA’s Community Liaison Officer Neli Msuya

Kilimo Kwanza

Documents

Transcript of Kilimo Kwanza