Focus: Tackling the changing climate

LOCATION

In northern and central Tanzania, climate change is making weather patterns increasingly unpredictable, limiting smallholders’ ability to plan for the future.

PROBLEM

For three years running, prolonged droughts have hit countries in eastern Africa hard, with many farmers failing to harvest enough to earn a living. This is particularly the case for sunflower farmers in Babati, Tanzania.

SOLUTION

Farm Africa is promoting a hybrid variety of seed to farmers that is drought tolerant and produces vastly increased yields compared to local varieties through our Flourishing futures project. This project worked with agricultural cooperatives and 10,000 of their members to support farmers to establish or develop sunflower businesses. The project aimed not just to benefit the farmers, but all of the actors involved in the sunflower oil production industry.

AMINA’S STORY

Amina joined the Sunflower project in 2018 and has already transformed her family’s life. Thanks to these super seeds, her harvests have multiplied tenfold – despite the droughts.

Currently, most of the sunflower farmers we are working with in Babati, Tanzania, use local seed varieties that struggle to survive these new extreme weather conditions. The plants often perish during droughts or struggle to grow at all. When farmers do get a harvest, the seeds they collect are tiny and their oil content is too low to sustain the local sunflower oil industry.

This is why Farm Africa is introducing farmers like Amina to super sunflower seeds. Not only are they drought-resistant and rich in oil, they are resilient against pests and are almost double the size of the local variety. Bigger seeds make a huge difference when it comes to selling – 

sunflower seeds are sold by weight and so, the more they weigh the more they are worth.

QUOTES

“Since being introduced to the new seed variety I get 30 bags of sunflower seeds from my harvest when before I used to get just three! Last season there was a prolonged drought – thankfully, we were able to feed ourselves because of the income from the sunflowers. My children are now getting enough food, they’re healthy and going to school happy. These seeds have changed everything.”

“As a woman and young farmer, I have to buy my own land, we do not inherit any, so I’ve bought some land (five acres) which cost me 1.5million Tanzanian Shillings (TZS) and I want to build my own home on it.”

“Thanks to the income from sunflowers, I have money in the bank.”

“I am the chairman of the farming group. I am the main leader. I mobilise the members to participate in group activities like meetings and trainings. I write reports for the group and send them to service providers like the bank. I also supervise the fundraising of the group – each month we collect money to help one member of the group. In the group I also promote savings for community services so for example if a member gets sick, we contribute to help them with the medical care because we don’t have health insurance, so we help each other as a group.”

“As a woman and young leader, I’ve tried to make our farming group a model as an example to other groups. We want other farmers’ groups to come and learn from us.”

All quotations are from Amina Muru, a sunflower farmer who took part in the project [pictured above].

Farm Africa’s work in Babiti was funded by The Agricultural Markets Development Trust.

Photo: Farm Africa / Ava Emami

IMAGES

Please find a selection of Farm Africa images, linked below. This includes images from the sunflower project, which you have permission to use. Kindly remember to credit the correct photographer, which is displayed in the notes of each photograph.

Please click here

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WHO WE ARE

Farm Africa is a leading international development charity that reduces poverty by unleashing the ability of farmers across eastern Africa to grow more, sell more and sell for more. We apply practical approaches to development, providing inputs, tools and expertise to enable farmers to double or triple their yields.

Farm Africa helps farmers to become more resilient to the effects of climate change and to access markets so they can increase their income and build sustainable businesses. We work closely with communities, the private sector and governments to make sure we’re finding the most effective ways to sustain natural resources, increase food production and help end Africa’s need for aid.

Typically, Farm Africa’s staff are from the local area, can speak the local language, and have a deep understanding of the local context. With 35 years’ experience working on the ground in rural Africa, we have a unique ability to spark change.

For more information, please visit www.farmafrica.org or follow us on social media:

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CONTACT

For more information, please contact Luke Hamilton, Corporate Partnerships Manager on lukeh@farmafrica.org