The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide funding to assist 6,240 small-scale farmers in rural Tanzania impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant is hoped to help farmers access inputs, provide market linkages and access agricultural and market information to improve productivity and increase resilience.
Growth in Tanzania’s agricultural sector was projected to decline to 2% in 2020 owing to the recent locust infestation and the pandemic. The growth decline in growth has led to high cost of inputs and limited access to markets, with small-scale farmers bearing the brunt.
Through its Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF), IFAD will provide $882,841, aiming to minimise the impact on livelihoods, resilience and food security. It will target farmers - half of whom will be women and 30% youth, as well as agro-dealers, off-takers and extension officers in Dodoma, Njombe, Simiyu, Singida and Unguja regions.
Despite the myriad of challenges they encounter, including low yields, crop cultivation remains the main economic activity for most small-scale farmers in Tanzania. The grant will distribute 23,650 kilograms of bio-fortified maize seeds, 14,460 kilograms of sunflower seeds and 971,000 seedlings of fruits and vegetables. It will also help safeguard the gains made under a previous IFAD supported project that closed in 2020, using its existing agro-input distribution system to reach the targeted farmers.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the vulnerability of our food systems. To ensure we build a sustainable and resilient food system, we need to recognise the role small-scale farmers play and empower them to access inputs, information and markets for their produce,” said Francesco Rispoli, IFAD Country Director for Tanzania.
Border closures and strict COVID-19 protocols have limited access to agricultural markets for many small-scale farmers. To improve this, the grant will support the National Food Reserve Agency purchase maize grain from the farmers, under its current plan to boost its reserve.
The grant will also support the scaling up of the M-Kilimo platform, a mobile based agriculture application that helps farmers’ access extension and advisory services and market related information at the palm of their hands.
