Rodgers and Beatrice (husband and wife) own three acres of land in Arusha region of Tanzania. They are among thousands of farmers who have benefitted from FCI intervention under the Domestic Markets Regional Programme funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They have experienced an increase in production of vegetables and maize as a result of adoption of Good Agronomic Practices. Rodgers indicated that an acre currently produces 20 bags of maize up from 7 bags leading to an annual income of TZS 2,400,000 (USD 1,411.00), up from the TZS 840,000 (USD 493.84) he used to make five years ago.

Sales from Traditional Africa Vegetables have increased to TZS 2,000,000 (USD 1,175.80) up from TZS 200,000 (USD 117.58) while the home environment has greatly improved as a result of having a banana plantation in comparison with a few years ago. The drivers towards the impacts included adoption of clean and improved seeds as opposed to local seed which led to less yields. Rogers has practiced proper application of chemicals and fertilizers, enhanced farm management and water harvesting technologies and utilization. He now has knowledge on when to apply chemicals as well as factoring in proper post-harvest management.

FCI linked Manyire Commercial Village members to partners such as AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center) who trained them on good agricultural practices. FCI taught them on maize storage technologies which enabled them to get better prices during off peak periods.  They were trained on collective marketing through the Commercial Village Model (CVM) which helped them to fetch better prices as a result of collective action. Capacity building on market access information came in handy through the support from FCI staff and within their group committees. The knowledge about market and marketing helped them to become price makers.

The couple has used proceeds from agri- business to build a permanent house, buy cattle, goats and chicken. Now the family gets milk from their cows for proper nutrition and good health. So far, they have spent about TZS 12M (USD 7,054.80) towards the house project. The process of keeping animals and building the house was not easy, but he was capable because of borrowing from the groups and saving little by little.

Who says that small holder farmers cannot adopt innovations and technologies? The story of Mary Reuben and her family from Manyire Commercial Village located South East of Arusha in Tanzania proves the deference. This was made possible after capacity building by Farm Concern International under the Domestic Markets Regional Programme funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Starting 2012, Fredrick Shirima, a smallholder farmer from Manyire village, Arusha region, started enjoying the benefits of farming, having made a total of TZS 1.5 million (USD 692.582) through onion farming on a half an acre of land, and selling the onions at Mbauda market in Arusha. Previously, Fredrick would cultivate the same area of land under onions and make TZS 700,000 (USD 323.205).

In 2013, Farm Concern International (FCI) linked him to FrigoKen, a company in Kenya that processes vegetables. He planted French beans on half an acre and sold to Frigoken earning a total of TZS 900,000 (USD 415.55) . In 2014, he planted French beans and made TZS 1.8 million (USD 831.098). The French bean enterprise has been an income source for him and his family for the last two years as he continues to expand the area under production. In 2015, he has planted French beans on one acre of land and expects to get even more yields through good agricultural practice. 

Fredrick is a member of Vukani Commercial Village (CV) formed in 2012 after FCI introduced the Domestic Horticulture Market (DoHoMa) programme to Manyire village. FCI offered training to farmers on how to use collective action as a tool for marketing agricultural commodities and accessing other services. 

Fredrick indicates that with the marketing committee in place, they now  access accurate  market information. He also learned to grow the right varieties and access quality seeds that are acceptable to the markets. “In the past, farmers would wait for the middlemen to come and buy from them from the village,” says Fredrick. They had little negotiating power on the prices. Vukani Commercial Village Marketing Committee set out to scout for markets in  Arusha town. The committee would research on market prices, qualities and volumes required by the traders and disseminate the findings during their Commercial Village  meetings.

In 2015, Fredrick  started  building a house valued at TZS 1.5 million (USD 700.332). He will be making finishes on his house with the income from the current crop. He has also been able to send one child to college at Singida and buy two cows at a cost of TZS 1 million (USD 466.888). “The biggest challenge I am experiencing is lack of adequate water, erratic rainfall and high inputs costs,” he says.

Fredrick is married and a father of seven children.

Leah Zakayo, a farmer from Manyire Commercial Village (CV) has increased her maize yields from 4 to 40 bags on one and a half acres. This gives her an income of Tsh 2,000,000 (USD 921.22). Her cucumber yields have also increased from 3-60 bags per acre which brings an income of Tsh 3,000,000 (USD 1,381.84) and 2-4 bags of beans from just a three quarter acre that gives an average income of Tsh 600,000 (USD 276.37).