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In opening the workshop, the guest of honor restated the fact that agriculture should no longer be considered as only a life style but a business.
For a successful farmer's business strategy, ownership and control of the local resources are key issues that might raise confidence this group to lead a hard core of attracting funding for their initiated activities.
The youths as future farming group should be necessarily involved at the kitchen level to make them know what is agriculture, but this should go together with creation of attractive environment in the rural areas including establishment of preservation and storage units and better prices of agricultural produce.
Women take up of over 60% of agricultural practices in Tanzanian rural areas, so, they should remain the direct active players and not through their husbands. If women will take a lead in the trade of agricultural crops, a strong network could emerge among the SADC countries.
The rural infrastructures was agreed as another necessary nerve for the effective change of the economic patterns in the rural area and this should be considered the key factor for sustainable development in the agricultural sector.
Most of agri-processing enterprises in Tanzania established through huge investments from outside whose ownership and control are not with indigenous farmers. There is no demand driven link between the producers, processors and suppliers and no clear contracts exist between them.
Farmers' consultancies do not exist though there is a suitable environment for the farmers to play this crucial role. There should be a system of which our countries could create a SADC consultancy team to take care of services related to this area. Markets for our agricultural commodities if properly be guided could demonstrate a focal base for African agricultural products to the rest of the world.
Farmers' banks and insurance system in our areas remain a dream so far, though it has been clearly understood that the banks' survival in our countries depends on small-scale farmers' business initiatives. Though, this fact is not in practice, a trade with no insurance business policy for the targeted members becomes an exploitative way by the capitalists.
Regarding the donor funds, it has been learnt that most of the funding channels to country for supporting agricultural activities have been rarely reached the hands of target groups. Though the budgets have been increasingly delivered, it is not possible to verify the direct impacts to the targeted groups.
Farmers felt a need for enhancing their knowledge about different initiatives by Embassies in Tanzania on the available funds so that groups of well-to-do farmers should be encouraged to come forward with different kinds of agribusiness small scale plans as part of capital investments in our areas.
A total of 34 representatives of from 47 agricultural thematic groups of farmers and 11 experts attended the workshop. A detailed report will reach you in the near future for possible sharing of experiences and resources.
The Workshop Programme for 25 - 26 November 2005, was as follows:
| Day 1: Nov 25, 2005 |
Registration
Introduction of participants and expectations
Opening remarks by Guest of Honor
Objectives of the workshop
Linking Production, Value Adding, Marketing and Policies
Socio-economic position of a Tanzania farmer in Context of Social forums
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| Day 2: Nov 26, 2005 |
Globalization, a strangler Policy to a Small farmer in LDCs
Small Scale Irrigation, a basket of agribusiness initiatives
Science for 21st Century, A new Commitment to success
Introduction of SARPN to participants
Best Practice for Future of All - case study
Recommendations and Way Forward
Workshop evaluation by participants
Closing remarks: Participants and Workshop leader
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Mwadhini O. Myanza
DIRECTOR - IRTECO
P.O. Box 6820
Moshi Kilimanjaro
Tanzania EA
Mobile: 255 744 583242
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