Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

A single-day-training conducted at TARI Kibaha on the 30th October 2024 engaged 24 agricultural extension workers (14 females, 10 males) from Kibaha Town Council, in Coast Region. Eight research staff from Roots and Tubers, and Technology Transfer and Partnerships departments facilitated this training. 

The training aimed to provide an overview of research on roots and tuber crops, particularly cassava and sweet potatoes, conducted at TARI Kibaha, facilitate knowledge and skills exchange on good management practices of cassava and sweetpotato crops between research and extension, strengthen relationships and communication between researchers and extension workers to enhance collaboration and wider uptake of innovations. 

A day covered both theoretical and practical/field sessions. In theoretical sessions facilitators presented research advancements on cassava and sweet potatoes, focusing on improved varieties, pest and disease management, and value addition technologies while field exposure introduced participants to ongoing research and physical observations of facilities and procedure, including: 

• Tissue culture production of disease-free cassava plantlets.
• Hardening of tissue-cultured cassava plantlets.
• Rapid multiplication of high-yielding, disease-free cassava using two-node cuttings and pencil stem cuttings in screen house facilities. 
• Production of disease-free- sweetpotato planting materials in screen house.

Moreover, participants engaged in interactive discussions through which they shared experiences, discussed challenges, and explored solutions in roots and tuber crop production. Consequently, they gained understanding of the practical applications of research on cassava and sweet potatoes, including high-ratio propagation techniques, strengthened collaboration between researchers and extension staff for effective technology dissemination, and enhanced capacity of extension workers to support farmers with up-to-date knowledge and innovative practices.