ACAI Welcomes New Partnerships to Scale AKILIMO in Tanzania

ACAI project continues to increase its partnerships as part of the steps taken to expand and strengthen the scaling and dissemination of AKILIMO tools. In March, several partners from different segments of the cassava value chain in Tanzania joined the project after a series of discussions and agreements through memoranda of understanding with ACAI.

The ACAI team in Tanzania received ROIJOK Progress Centre Limited (RPC) a private agribusiness entity that promotes sustainable cassava farming through modernized production, market linkage and value addition. The company based in the coastal region of Tanzania, also it promotes commercial cassava farmers through awareness campaigns and training.

At the ACAI planning meeting in Dar, the RPC Executive Director Rozina Urio said the AKILIMO recommendations will be an important resource for the company, especially for their network of more than 500 farmers in their out-grower scheme in Tanzania.

“It is interesting to us that besides AKILIMO tools, ACAI has also developed training materials like videos and training manuals, these will have an immense impact on extension services for cassava in this country.”  Said Urio

Kilimo Joint, a privately-owned agribusiness consulting startup that works across several food value chains including cassava is another entity that joined the ACAI Family. The Kilimo Joint outfit is organized around promoting new innovations and agricultural technologies for both small scale farmers and multi-sector enterprises involved in crop production, input production and distribution. Kilimo Joint is also working closely with YARA

ACAI is also working closely with the Tanzania Cassava Producers and Processors Association (TACAPPA) which was recently formed to champion the affairs of its members. TACAPPA which boasts of members from various sectors along the cassava value chain including finance and policymaking has nominated the vice-chairman, Burton Nsape to represent the association in ACAI activities and foster collaborations between the project and the members.

ACAI has moved to incorporate the District Agriculture Irrigation and Cooperative Officers locally known as DAICOs to facilitate in organizing grass-root reach through government extension systems. Through the scaling and dissemination team, ACAI hopes to increase the number of partners involved in the project for sustainability of the AKILIMO tools beyond the project tenure.

Commenting on the growing partnership, ACAI Project coordinator for Tanzania Freddy Baijukya said the new collaborations will play a strategic role in scaling the use of AKILIMO beyond the primary partnerships in the country.

“We are in the most important phase of the project goals, such expansion in partnership will help us reach the targets set out for the project and even more,” Baijukya said.