In a collaborative effort to bolster sustainable agriculture and enhance farmers' productivity, Yara Tanzania, in partnership with Farm For the Future (FFF) and Seed Co. Limited, inaugurated the Yara Knowledge Centre on March 6. The center, situated within a 350-hectare seed maize farm managed by FFF in Ilula District, Iringa Region, marks a significant stride in providing crucial agronomy and extension support to subsistence growers.
The event, graced by the Iringa Regional Commissioner, Ms. Halima Dendego, and the Norwegian Ambassador to Tanzania, Ms. Tone Tinnes, signifies a commitment to government initiatives aimed at expanding access to agricultural knowledge and support.
Yara Tanzania's Managing Director, Winstone Odhiambo, emphasized the Yara Knowledge Centre's role as a trusted partner, providing smallholder farmers with education, practical field demonstrations, tools, and support needed to adopt sustainable farming practices, improve yields, and build prosperous livelihoods.
The Yara Knowledge Centre aims to promote positive farming practices such as soil health, balanced crop nutrition, and environmental stewardship, contributing to sustainable food production and enhanced farmer profitability. The center will empower farmers through last-mile access to agricultural inputs, knowledge, digital innovations, and modern technologies.
Smallholder farmers will benefit from a holistic approach that encompasses research and development, the agribusiness value chain, and innovation, ultimately increasing their household incomes. This initiative aligns with President Samia Suluhu Hassan's agriculture transformation agenda, bridging the gap in access to subsidized inputs and extension service support for the most vulnerable farmers.
With the addition of the Ilula center, the total number of Yara Knowledge Centres across Tanzania reaches seven, with others located in Mbeya, Morogoro, Kilimanjaro, Tabora, Manyara, and Zanzibar.
FFF founder, Mr. Osmund Ueland, expressed optimism that the Yara Knowledge Centre at the farm would accelerate the project's vision of becoming a model center for social development in Tanzania. He called for the government's swift implementation of promised boreholes in the 16 surrounding villages, providing a foundation for irrigation and mechanization.
Clive Muganda, Managing Director of Seed Co. Limited, pledged ongoing support for initiatives promoting research, shared knowledge on soil health, environmental sustainability, and strengthening agriculture value chains for inclusive wealth creation.
Ms. Dendego commended the joint launch of the Yara Knowledge Centre, emphasizing its crucial role in addressing serious gaps limiting farmers in the region from reaching their full production potential. She highlighted challenges faced by farmers, including a lack of agronomic knowledge and inputs, poor infrastructure, affordable technologies, pests and diseases, inadequate water resources, market disruptions, a lack of capital, and climatic vulnerability.