Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

The Beyond Cotton Project is a joint initiative of the WFP Centre of Excellence and the Brazilian government, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) and the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG, in Portuguese), with financial support from the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA, in Portuguese). On the Tanzanian side, it has a partnership with the Tanzania office of the World Food Programme and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), through the participation of the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), and the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB).

The team of researchers from Tanzania Agricultural Institute(TARI) ,Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) and the delegate made up of technical staff from the World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger Brazil, the Federal University of Campina Grande and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC, in Portuguese) conducted a technical activities to support farmers benefiting from the Beyond Cotton project in the districts of Misungwi, Magu and Kwimba in terms of training on appropriate methodologies for biological control of agricultural diseases, microbiological analysis of drinking water. The training took place in an analysis and research laboratory at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)

The farmers also took part in training to identify and adapt the planting of their food crops and cotton to the rainy season, in view of the impacts of climate change reported by the participants. Also, as a form of mitigation, the best techniques for selecting and storing Creole seeds were demonstrated, as well as the importance of forming a Community Creole Seed House with the election of a Seed Guardian in each of the districts visited, the production and application of natural insecticides, biofertilizers, water friendly home garden good soil conservation and fertility practices.

The nutrition activities included making full use of food, producing recipes, and cooking workshops, good hygiene practices and assessing the anthropometric measurements and weight of the community, as well as identifying deficiencies, anaemia and oedema, all of which were carried out jointly with the local nutritionists in the districts visited.

Ms.Byabuka Katunzi said that “The Beyond Cotton has been so helpful not only to me as a farmer and a chairperson of Women group at Nguge Village in Misungwi district but also the entire community as we have been taught  on making fire wood friendly stoves, harvesting rain water techniques, home gardens and nutritional education”.