Scaling Up Improved Legume Technologies in Tanzania (CIFSRF Phase 2)
Programs and partnerships
Lead institution(s)
Summary
Despite the well-documented advantages of improved legume technologies, adoption is slow. Constraints include the lack of information reaching farmers, along with the availability and affordability of high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and Rhizobium inoculants.Read more
Despite the well-documented advantages of improved legume technologies, adoption is slow. Constraints include the lack of information reaching farmers, along with the availability and affordability of high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and Rhizobium inoculants. This project aims to resolve these limitations to make the technologies accessible to 100,000 small-scale farmers from six districts across Tanzania. Increasing awareness and adoption The project team will use a multimedia approach to inform half a million farmers about the benefits of the improved legume technologies. Tactics include interactive radio campaigns, social media, smartphone messaging, and voice telephony. Researchers expect that approximately 20% of farmers will adopt the new technologies. The team will also conduct subsidized farm-level trials, hold farmer-to-farmer demonstrations, and organize field days. Hub agro dealer model The project will use a hub agro model, which places agricultural dealers at the centre of their communities. This allows smallholder farmers to reduce transportation costs and makes inputs available locally. The project team will train at least 30 hub agro dealers on the technologies so they can instruct a larger number of smaller-scale agro dealers operating across the target regions. Research partners will develop local capacity to ensure that the Tanzanian radio stations, designers, and writers can run similar campaigns in the future. Innovation in legume technologies By improving yields and reducing production costs, the project will increase family incomes and contribute to better nutrition of rural and urban households in Tanzania. This will allow them to consume a wider variety of legumes rich in protein and nutrients. The project will also inform better policies that promote community-based seed systems with high-quality standards. A consortium will implement the project. It includes the following organizations: -African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership in Tanzania -Farm Radio International -Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International Project funding This project is funded under the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF), an IDRC program undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada (formerly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada). oject