But a lack of storage facilities and the refusal of fruit processors to buy non-standard fruit meant that often farmers could not sell all the fruit they grew and much was left to rot. Up to a quarter of the fruit was estimated to be lost before it reached the market because of poor handling and storage after harvest.

We worked to help women farmers earn more money by:

• training them in better techniques that produce fruit of a high-enough standard to sell to local processors
• working to obtain organic status so that the women’s pineapples are consistently sold at premium prices in both local and overseas markets
• training farmers to use appropriate technologies to enable year-round production and harvesting.

Business skills

By helping women to hone their business skills, we enabled them to:

• pay for more nutritious food, schooling and medical costs
• come to be seen as more equal partners in decision-making.

Who did we work with?

We worked with DORT Africa, a local non-governmental organisation based in Dar es Salaam, amongst other partners.

Innovation

This innovative project was just one of many across eastern Africa made possible by Farm Africa’s Maendeleo Agricultural Enterprise Fund.