Smallholder Farmers In Kongwa District Set To Benefit From Cultivation Of Pigeon Peas And Sorghum

THE regenerative agriculture project, ‘Enabling a Resilient and Prosperous Community through Participatory Agroecological Practices in the Semi-Arid Region of Central Zone’ (Rescomm II), is implementing an array of efforts to assist smallholder farmers in Kongwa District, Dodoma Region, to improve their livelihoods through the cultivation of pigeon peas and sorghum.

With growing demand and expanding markets for the two economic cash crops, the Biovision Foundation-funded project is seeking to empower smallholder farmers from at least 150 households in Sagara ‘B’ Village, Kongwa District, to master best agroecological practices for the mass cultivation of the crops.

Speaking yesterday during a results-oriented farmers’ field day held in Sagara ‘B’ Village, Ms Ashura Dulazi, a research officer from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), said the initiative is providing capacity-building support to help farmers improve production and productivity of the crops.

“Pigeon peas and sorghum currently attract competitive prices in the markets, but farmers here have been growing the crops with very low yields due to several setbacks,” she said.

She identified the challenges that continue to hinder the farmers from achieving the desired harvests as persistent drought and other effects of climate change, as well as inadequate knowledge of best agricultural practices among farmers.

She said the project is being implemented by a range of agricultural research and development institutions, including the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) and Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT).

“We’re working to train farmers on soil moisture and fertility management, including farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) for land restoration, rainwater harvesting techniques through the use of tied ridges and Fanya Juu/Fanya Chini terraces,” she said.

Other agroecological practices being rolled out by the project to assist farmers in improving production, she said, include training on good agronomic practices (GAP) for the production of quality declared seeds (QDS) of sorghum, pigeon peas and groundnuts.

“We have also introduced them to well-researched, drought-tolerant crop varieties for sorghum and pigeon peas, including Macia for sorghum and Mali for pigeon peas,” Dulazi said.

Other vital varieties introduced, she stated, include Tumbi 105 and Situka for maize, as well as Tanzanut 2016 for groundnuts.

Monica Magomba, a 63-year-old farmer, is among those who benefited from the project’s training during its pilot operations in Sagara ‘B’ Village.

“Before the project, I used to harvest almost nothing, but I am happy that after receiving the training, I am now getting enough yields,” she said.

She expressed delight and optimism that she would achieve even higher harvests during the coming agricultural season.

Mr Elirehema Swai, a senior researcher and the project’s adviser, insisted on the need for farmers in the village to make effective use of the training they have received and venture into mass production of the crops.

“For instance, pigeon peas are now sold at 2,500/- per kilogramme, which means a farmer can fetch up to 200,000/- per sack,” he said.

He urged the youth in the village to cultivate the crop by adopting the disseminated agroecological technologies.

With effective training to combat the effects of invasive plants, including witchweed, Swai said farmers are being exposed to promising economic opportunities that could transform their livelihoods through the agriculture sector.

The second phase of the Enabling a Resilient and Prosperous Community through Participatory Agroecological Practices in the Semi-Arid Region of Central Zone (Rescomm II), launched in 2024, is an ambitious initiative aimed at supporting farmers and pastoralists in the region to overcome the adverse impacts of climate change on their livelihoods.

The project receives funding from the Biovision Foundation and the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED).