Agriculture is the backbone of rural Tanzania, and the route out of poverty. Almost everyone in Zeze is a farmer. Most lives and livelihoods of communities totally depend upon it and many people in surrounding communities are subsistence farmers.
“Until a few decades ago, crop yields were good, so we could live well,” Benedicto explains. But when the effects of climate change appeared – such as reduced rainfall – and an increase in poor land management practices led to a sudden drop in harvests, “life became a lot harder, and we often didn’t have enough to eat.”
Climate change has led to a reduction in rainfall in Zeze. The subsistence farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to grow enough food to feed their families, let alone pay for medicine and school uniforms.
Climate change also leads to drought, crop diseases and insects, increased heat and winds speed. All these factors contribute to poor agricultural production.
As a result, farms are expanding on to virgin land, and contributing to deforestation. In addition, income poverty leads to illegal burning of charcoal, timber, firewood and logging.
Poor education environment impacts lead to people felling trees, burning bushes to make wildfires, killing trees by burning, uprooting trees and debarking them for herbs and other needs.
Failing to replace trees and farming at stream banks also causes erosion.
Income poverty in our community leads to illegal burning of charcoal, timber, firewood and logging. Inadequate literacy on environmental related matters and traditional beliefs leads to people felling trees, burning bushes to make wild fires, killing trees by burning, uprooting trees and debarking them for herbs and other needs.
Also failing to replace trees, farming at stream banks causing erosion, seeing bushes as enemies because they attract other creatures to inhabit so clearing them are all contributing factors.
The overall environmental impacts associated with the factors stated above are deforestation and loss of natural vegetation cover, land droughts and soil erosion, inadequate and unreliable rainfall in a year, the decrease of agricultural produce and increased poverty intensity, migration and unsettled families.
Local people need a strategy to encourage them to embrace new practices to combat these difficulties and maintain sustainable agricultural practices that will heal the land, produce more crops, and combat climate change.
Through training and education, we are slowly changing the mentality of the majority of the community towards planting different tree species and protecting the natural vegetation for the sake of the wider environment both now and for tomorrow.
Greenhouses
We are helping provide more regular crops of vegetables for the community through the construction of two large greenhouses with irrigation systems.
This is a first for Kasulu district and created great excitement in Zeze and beyond – especially when watching our first crop of tomatoes and peppers grow!
The construction of our first greenhouse in our degrading land.
Enjoying the bountiful crops from our greenhouse!
Our crop production has been aided by the construction of two large greenhouses with water system facilities for vegetable and food production. This is a first for Kasulu district and has created great excitement in Zeze and beyond – especially when watching our first crop of tomatoes and peppers grow!
The use of greenhouses allows us to continue growing crops for longer periods with more protection of the crops. This can lead to improved livelihoods of the community while advancing food security.
Crop Processing
Rural families, especially in Tanzania, struggle to grow enough food to eat, which means that their health, education and income is affected.
One of the reasons Zeze is so poor is that any surplus food such as maize and cassava cannot be processed locally, and is sold as raw material, bringing a very low price to the villagers.
To help create a more circular economy for the village, MVG has been helping to build a local factory and storage scheme so produce can be processed locally and then sold on for greater profit.
Food crop production has increased dramatically in the past four years and is helping to improve living standards among families in Zeze and Kasulu District as a whole.
“Food was a big challenge to my family, I didn’t have enough food throughout the year, I didn’t even manage to farm more land and support my family’s education. I adapted improved farming and made more sacks of harvests from 2 to 19 sacks of maize per one acre. I pay school fees, school uniform, feed the family and my children are doing well in school” – Jefason.
Small Loans & Farmer Training
Food poverty means that farmers often unknowingly encroach on and misuse the natural environment whilst trying to provide for their families. To help the community with a different route to an income, we provide access to loans for small businesses. Along with these small loans, we help educate people about businesses and environmental issues.
Such loans can give people from the community a chance to undergo business and farming training, education, and expand their farming. This can lead to better livelihoods for themselves, and as well a contribution to the community and environment.
Chicken Farming
Almost five years ago, we began cross breeding broiler and local chickens to find a variety that could thrive in the local environment.
The idea was to distribute chickens to small farmers in Kigoma, starting at Zeze. This revolving chicken project has now benefitted over 350 families, and we have now started similar projects to distribute goats and pigs.
The aim of these ventures is to provide an improved income and more secure source of food for farming families.