MVIWATA membership sensitization activities are core functions of MVIWATA members that aims to build unity and solidarity among smallholder producers in order to defend their interests in all aspects of life.

Pictured are MVIWATA members sensitizing fellow smallholder producers in Bondeni Ward, Hai district, Kilimanjaro region.  Sensitization activities by members of MVIWATA are effected in all regions and district in the country.

Smallholder producers faces a number of challenges including lack of access and security to land for sustainable production, unreliable market for their produces, lack of reliable and friendly financial services and agricultural inputs challenges.

Therefore having a national organ like MVIWATA that unites in solidarity smallholder producers in Tanzania to wage struggles and advocate their interests across a range of issues is an inevitable task.

“THE DEFENDER OF A FARMER IS A FARMER”

Smallholder farmers and members of MVIWATA in Njombe region have participated effectively at Saba Saba Exhibition 2020 prepared by MVIWATA at Yakobi ward in Njombe region. Hundreds of smallholder farmers participated and showcased their farms produce including fruits, cereals and livestock.  

Smallholder farmers also showcased their traditional knowledge and practices that they have kept for years. These are systems and practices of smallholder farmers that ranges from seeds, fertilizers, pesticides to post-harvest storage of crops and farms produce that keeps them off the trap of corporate systems that aims to impoverish smallholder farmers in all forms.

Participation in Exhibition events by smallholder farmers and members of MVIWATA is crucial in showcasing their produce, knowledge and systems that they depend on for their livelihoods.

Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania – MVIWATA is conducting a training to more than 300 smallholder farmers, members of MVIWATA and village leaders in six (6) villages namely Mvumi, Msowero, Mambegwa, Ilonga, Kimamba na Madoto located in Kilosa District, Morogoro.

The training is conducted for 7 days by MVIWATA legal officers and will end with a public dialogue at Chanzuru ward, Ilonga village. Smallholder farmers in respective areas will also receive a legal aid service from MVIWATA legal officers.  

Smallholder producers in Kilosa District are enduring severe challenges on access to secure land to carry on production activities. The challenges ranges from conflict between pastoralists and farmers, conflict between investors and farmers, unclear guidelines on possession of land with revoked title deeds for smallholder farmers.

These challenges and the related ones facing smallholder producers has necessitated MVIWATA to conduct a series of training on land policies and laws to smallholder farmers in different Districts and Regions.

Trainings and legal aid services on land laws and policies to smallholder farmers are part of the strategies of MVIWATA that ensures smallholder farmers have knowledge and skills on land access and security.

With this awareness smallholder producers are able to defend and claim their land rights effectively for their livelihoods and the community at large.  

An on-going meeting and reflection session of part of MVIWATA staffs at MVIWATA Headquarters. Reflection meetings at MVIWATA are an interactive, knowledge and information sharing events which helps to inform and update where possible existing practices & approaches between staff members for the organisation’s progress.

Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania – MVIWATA effected a four (4) days training to 49 smallholder farmers members of MVIWATA from Kilimanjaro. The training was conducted at MVIWATA Headquarters and it also involved field visits to smallholder farmers’ members of MVIWATA in Kilosa and Morogoro rural Districts.

Realization of MVIWATA’s mission, vision and its strategic goals were key part of the training.

The visits were effected at Mvumi, Rudewa and Chanzuru wards in Kilosa District whereby smallholder farmers’ members from Kilimanjaro and those in respective areas exchanged by expressing their challenges, opportunities and on how MVIWATA as a national organization has unified them in advocating for their interests.   

Smallholder farmers in Kilosa District expressed their challenges, namely invasion of their land by investors and the government authorities’ inability to address the particular challenge, unclear framework of land redistribution where title deeds were revoked by the president, conflict between farmers and pastoralists, selling and buying of crops without the use of proper units of measurement (Lumbesa) by buyers leading to exploitation of smallholder farmers.

Advocacy on land security for smallholder farmers is part of the strategies of MVIWATA. Smallholder farmers in Kilosa have so far received a number of trainings provided by MVIWATA on land policy and laws including women’s right to access and control land.

During the exchange visit’s dialogue, smallholder farmers from Kilosa District called upon the President of United Republic of Tanzania His, Excellency Dr, John Pombe Magufuli to intervene as the last hope to solve the land disputes in Kilosa.

Rural poor farmers depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods, but the majority have limited access to land in Kilosa District.

Likewise an exchange visit for farmers from Kilimanjaro was effected at Kinole ward Morogoro rural District where the visitors witnessed a number of activities done by MVIWATA in the area. These includes the Tandai market, Chief Kingalu Mwanabanzi XIV farmers training centre and the Kinole SACCOS which was initiated as a result of MVIWATA efforts. Farmer to farmer exchange visits under MVIWATA during trainings are part and means to build and achieve national solidarity and unity of smallholder producers.

It also helps to realize the mission, vision and strategic areas of activity implementation by MVIWATA that aims to unite smallholder farmers in groups and networks on a national scale in order to protect their interests through capacity development, facilitating communication and advocacy on policies and systems.

The District Commissioner for Mvomero District Hon, Mohamed Utali opened a four (4) days training on Social Accountability Monitoring (SAM)particularly on seeds (Open Pollinated Varieties) and extension servicesat Dakawato 30 smallholder farmers’ members of MVIWATA of Mvomero District, Morogoro region. 

The training on SAM is facilitated by Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania – MVIWATA in collaboration with Eastern and Southern Farmers Forum (ESAFF) and Partnership for Social Accountability Alliance (PSA). The training is funded by Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC).

Hon. Utali in opening the training urged smallholder farmers to use effectively the opportunity in order to get insights and understanding of their role as citizens in the planning processes and accountability of public funds and projects effected in their villages. “Unfortunately many of us when in trainings like this all we think and care about is subsistence allowances rather than the lessons given” added the District Commissioner (DC).

Trainings to smallholder farmers on SAM are effective way of enhancing social accountability on public expenditures and projects. It helps the community to participate in planning processes of the projects and to be informed on the extent of implementation of the particular project, its challenges and successes. Hon Utali thanked MVIWATA and partners for SAM training referring to it as his favourite kind of training to smallholder farmers in rural areas.  

“We have this notion of thinking that we smallholder farmers have nothing to contribute in the planning and monitoring of Village, Ward, District, Region and National funds and projects, but we have to know that we have the biggest responsibility and we are the pillar of all the plans”, said Hon Utali.

Hon Utali said Mvomero District has minimal engagement of smallholder farmers and citizens in the planning process and strategy formulation. “It might be because you are not engaging or you are not engaged in the planning processes. Therefore, this training will help us to know at what stage as smallholder farmers we are supposed to engage in the planning and monitoring processes”, said Hon, Utali.

He further added that “if we formulate plans without your engagement it means we are interfering your role in the planning for your development”.

Ms, Theodora Pius, a training officer at MVIWATA, said trainings on SAM are part of the strategies of MVIWATA to capacitate smallholder farmers in setting their priorities and agenda in the planning processes and budgeting in agriculture sector and other related sectors.

She further added that the 4 days training on SAM will also engage planning officer and agriculture officer both from Mvomero District office to train and exchange with smallholder farmers. Likewise a training and analysis for a government budget and its processes will be effected to the 30 smallholder farmers.

Ms, Irene Liborious from ESAFF said the training on SAM aims to capacitate smallholder farmers in initiating their agendas and priorities in agriculture sector particularly on seeds (Open Pollinated Varieties) and Extension Services, monitoring and accountability in public expenditures.  

“This program is implemented in 5 countries namely Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia”, said Ms, Irene. 

In implementing its mission of uniting smallholder farmers in groups and networks in order to protect their interests through capacity development, facilitating communication and advocacy on policies and systems, Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania (MVIWATA) organized a five (5) days training to thirty (30) smallholder farmers from Kilimanjaro region.

Such regular on-going trainings are organized to impart awareness on the philosophy, mission, vision, membership of MVIWATA and the importance of solidarity and unity of the working class under the umbrella of MVIWATA. While the training was on-going Hon, Regina Chonjo, Morogoro District Commissioner paid a courtesy visit to MVIWATA Headquarters office to see activities waged by the organization.

“I believe MVIWATA is the great savior of smallholder farmers who make about 80% of farmers in Tanzania”, words of appreciation from Hon, Regina Chonjo, Morogoro District Commissioner to smallholder farmers from Kilimanjaro when speaking to them during their training.

She further added that “We need to look where we come from, where we are & where we are heading likewise if you want to arrive to a destination bring others with you”. Smallholder farmers from Kilimanjaro as part of their training also had a field visit in Kilosa District, at Mvumi and Chanzulu wards where they visited MVIWATA members and exchanged with them on their challenges, successes and as members of MVIWATA how their organization has been a crucial grassroots organ in advocating their concerns.   

Hon. Chonjo witnessed other two trainings happening at MVIWATA Headquarters to forty (40) smallholder farmers from Mwanza, Mbeya, Singida, Tanga and Tabora on matters related to land policies & laws and on micro-finance services (SACCOS & VICOBA) of smallholder farmers.

“THE DEFENDER OF A FARMER IS A FARMER”

Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania (MVIWATA) as part of its strategy of ensuring smallholder farmers are in control of sustainable production systems, organized a farmers’ exchange visit to smallholder farmers’ producer groups in Kinole ward, Morogoro rural district where farmer-promoters have developed agro-ecological solutions to problems that are common among many smallholder farmers.

The host smallholder producer groups shared and exchanged knowledge with their fellow farmers from Tanga, Mtwara and Morogoro using their own spice farm as a group’s demonstration farm. Host farmers explained and responded to questions including the types of spices found on the farm (that included cloves, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and banana plants), farm management and soil fertility.

Apart from these exchanges of knowledge and experiences farmers from Mtwara and Tanga also got plants and indigenous seeds to plant back at their group’s demonstration farms. The visitors were astonished with the way host farmers’ ecological spice farms and environment are nurtured and how cool it is to visit and experience these areas.

Smallholder farmers’ members of MVIWATA in Kinole ward, Morogoro rural district are engaged in spice production based on agro-ecological farming methods that depend on local realities of local knowledge and creativity.

Strategizing grassroots producer groups’ to practice agro-ecological farming methods.

After a field visit to host smallholder farmers’ demonstration farms, participants sat and strategized on the way forward for agro-ecological farming among smallholder farmers. Ms, Rukia from Tanga said apart from sensitizing smallholder farmers to be members of MVIWATA she will also sensitize them through her group’s demonstration farms to practice agro-ecological farms of which it is a new concept to most farmers but with a demonstration farm they will easily grasp the concept and practice it.

Participants also agreed to establish an indigenous seed banks in their producer groups as a strategy to preserve the endangered indigenous seeds and also as a strategy to sabotage and break the stranglehold of debt on farming households by purchasing zero off-farm inputs.

MVIWATA has been organizing grassroots agro-ecological and climate justice movements with the idea of using agro-ecological practices based totally on resources found on the farm, like mulching, organic amendments, and diversification.

MVIWATA seeks to build awareness to smallholder food producers for the defence of peasant and indigenous knowledge and materials against corporate land grabbing and change public policies towards food sovereignty, based on agrarian reform, local markets, and ecological farming.

“THE DEFENDER OF A FARMER IS A FARMER”

World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June every year, and is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It was first held in 1974, and has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on environmental issues emerging from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.

To effectively commemorate this day Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania (MVIWATA) organised a series of activities and events at national, regional, district and grassroots level. Activities included planting of trees, dialogues on the relationship between land, agriculture and environment and exchange of indigenous seeds and traditional knowledge.

Smallholder farmers and members of MVIWATA in Manyara, Kigoma, Ruvuma, Mtwara, Morogoro and Shinyanga regions in collaboration with regional and district government authorities commemorated the day with planting trees in most affected areas including water sources. They also exchanged indigenous seeds and traditional knowledge while emphasizing on protecting the planted trees and nurturing the culture of preserving indigenous knowledge and seeds.

Speaking at MVIWATA Headquarters office on World Environment Day during the dialogue titled Agriculture, Land and Environment, MVIWATA Chairman Mr Abdul Gea said to 44 smallholder farmers and members of MVIWATA who were attending the training on leadership, agro-ecology and climate justice, that their livelihoods is dependent on well conserved environment.

MVIWATA Executive Director Mr, Stephen Ruvuga said during the dialogue that in order to mitigate the crisis arising from climate change smallholder farmers are obliged to rely on proven practices like agro-ecological farming methods that do not turn smallholders farmers into markets of technological means of mitigating crisis arising from climate change. Mr Ruvuga gave an example on how the pandemic COVID-19 has given rise of utilization of traditional medicines and herbs to sustain the lives of COVID-19 patients.

Smallholder farmers’ participants of the dialogue held at MVIWATA headquarters office gave comments mostly on how the climate crisis aided by industrial agriculture, monoculture and excessive use of toxic industrial chemicals in farming has affected them. Ms. Rukia and Ms. Rehema from Tanga and Lindi regions testified on how industrial seeds has failed to yield the results as propagandized by its agents.

They further added that excessive industrial activities in farming aided by application of industrial fertilizers and seeds has destroyed the natural soil fertility and the environment at large. They added that the only viable solution left is to rely on applying agro-ecological farming methods that are reliable and environment friendly while having no health effect to producers and consumers and independence from industrial inputs.  

On giving alternatives to challenges arising from climate change smallholder farmers urged their fellow farmers to continue with the grassroots movement of applying agro-ecological farming methods and sabotaging fake capitalist solutions like Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD). They also emphasised on been ambassadors in protecting trees that have been planted to ensure they grow and mitigate the crisis.

During the commemoration of World Environment Day members of MVIWATA also read and discussed the Open Letter developed by all members of La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa to the member states of SADC and EAC demanding on climate justice.

“THE DEFENDER OF A FARMER IS A FARMER”

Organized smallholder farmers’ grassroots movement for agro-ecological practices and climate justice.

Towards commemoration of World Environmental Day  2020 #WED2020 Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania (MVIWATA) together with La Via Campesina Eastern and Southern Africa among other activities has organized a five (5) days training on agro-ecology and climate justice to 24 smallholder farmers from Mtwara, Tanga and Morogoro regions.

The training highlights the benefits of family-based diversified agro ecological farming, in terms of feeding the world with healthy, local food, good stewardship of the rural environment, the preservation of cultural heritages and the peasant or family farm way of life, and resilience to climate change.

The training is also putting a critique of agribusiness and industrial agriculture for producing unhealthy food and generating inequality, greenhouse gases, hunger, environmental devastation, GMO contamination, pesticide poisoning, the destruction and loss of rural cultures and livelihoods.

Other activities planned for World Environmental Day 2020 #WED2020 on 5^th June 2020, includes planting trees and a dialogue on the smallholder farmers’ approach to mitigate climate change crisis. Dialogues and planting trees will also be effected by smallholder farmers’ members of MVIWATA at grassroots in regions and districts.

On 6^th June 2020, participants of the training will have a farmers’ exchange visit to smallholder farmers’ producer groups in Kinole ward, Morogoro rural district whereby farmer-promoters who have developed agro-ecological solutions to problems that are common among many farmers and who use popular education methodology will share them with their fellow farmers, using their own group’s demonstration farms as their classrooms.

Agro-ecology is based on applying principles that depend on local realities of local knowledge and ingenuity. Smallholder farmers must necessarily take a front seat to agro-ecological solutions to curb climate crisis, and farmers cannot blindly follow pesticide and fertilizer recommendations prescribed on a recipe basis by extension agents or salesmen.

MVIWATA has been organizing grassroots agro-ecological and climate justice movements with the idea of using agro-ecological practices based totally on resources found on the farm, like mulching, organic amendments, and diversification, so as to break the stranglehold of debt on farming households by purchasing zero off-farm inputs.

MVIWATA seeks to build awareness to smallholder food producers for the defence of peasant and indigenous material territories against corporate land grabbing and change public policies toward food sovereignty, based on agrarian reform, local markets, and ecological farming which are climate resilience.

Mtandao wa Vikundi vya Wakulima Tanzania (MVIWATA) effected a training and exchange visit for twenty (20) leaders of smallholder farmers from Geita, Shinyanga and Simiyu regions. The exchange visit and training sought aimed to improve the knowledge and practices of the leaders of smallholder farmers and to integrate the experience gained from the visit and training into their producer groups and networks of MVIWATA.

The aim of the training that took six days (6) for twenty (20) leaders of smallholder farmers was to equip them with the understanding of the essence behind formation of MVIWATA, its philosophy, vision, mission and strategic areas of activity implementations, it also aimed to create awareness on membership and producers groups sensitization and formation, concepts of political economy and policy and advocacy at micro levels.

Likewise a one day exchange visit to exchange experiences and discover new viewpoints and approaches of agro-ecological practices was organised whereby Tushikamane group with 24 members residing at Mzumbe ward, Mvomero District in Morogoro hosted and provided such insightful experiences and practices on agro-ecology. 

During the exchange visit a Tushikamane producer group Chairperson Ms, Maria Shindika told the visitors that apart from the group’s main activity in crop production through agro-ecological practices, they are also engaged a Village Community Bank (VICOBA) which is a savings and credit financial service formed and managed by a group. She added that VICOBA has been a major source of capital in financing agro-ecological farming activities for their group and at individual level of which it has also served in paying schools fees for their children. 

On giving the profile of the group Ms, Elizabeth Kaganda, a secretary of Tushikamane group told the visitors that at first members used to farm collectively through a group’s demonstration plots and they started with vegetable crops, then they diversified to sunflower, maize and rice plants of which all the crops were farmed through agro-ecological practices. 

She added that later on the members of the group after having practical skills through a group’s demonstration plot turned to farm at individual farms through agro-ecological practices where some produced their crops for business while others did for their own consumption. Ms, Elizabeth also thanked MVIWATA for sensitizing them to form and skills to manage their group and also for the agro-ecological practices training of which it has enormously benefited them.

On a practical demonstrations, that made it easier to understand an idea of agro-ecological farming system and which stimulated willingness to take action. Ms, Vumilia Kadoa, a treasurer of Tushikamane group demonstrated to the leaders of smallholder farmers step by step on preparation of farms, manure and composite preparations as fertilisers, knowledge on indigenous seeds storage and on pesticides making, all these using agro-ecological practices.

Ms, Vumilia further added that despite of the methods been cost free, they are also most effective, reliable, preserves soil fertility while it as well protects the health of producers and consumers unlike the industrial modes of farming as propagated by its agents.

Beyond agro-ecological theoretical narrations effected by Ms, Vumilia, leaders of smallholder farmers paid a visit to agro-ecological mushroom farm owned by Ms, Maria Shindika by which concrete examples and understanding the farming methods were revealed of which they will subsequently be adapted and applied by the leaders of smallholder farmers’ producer groups.

Ms, Maria added that the market for her mushroom is high beyond her capacity of production by which one kilogram of fresh mushroom is sold up to 15,000/= TZS, while for a dried mushroom per kilogram is sold up to 30,000/= TZS.

Leaders of smallholder farmers were also told that the market for crops produced through agro-ecological methods is high, citing an example of spinach farmed through agro-ecological means, Ms, Maria said for a piece of spinach weighing nearly 200 grams is sold at 1000/= TZS while those farmed with industrial chemicals and fertilisers is sold at 300/= TZS up to 500/= TZS.

While concluding Ms, Theodora Pius, MVIWATA training officer thanked the hosts for their tremendous and remarkable example for their group’s activities and their agro-ecological farming systems.

She further stressed that in order to sabotage a capitalist system through its agents which has exploited and killed millions of smallholder farmers worldwide and that comes in many forms such as commercial industrial seeds and industrial chemicals and that turns smallholder farmers into slaves in their own land, smallholder farmers have to remain firm and in solidarity through sharing their indigenous knowledge and seeds that will finally demolish the market for capitalist systems’ products.  

Ms, Theodora urged leaders of smallholder farmers from Shinyanga, Geita and Simiyu to use the knowledge gained to their producer groups by establishing groups’  demonstration plots for realization of the agro-ecological farming methods, and this task will be monitored for further smallholder farmers trainings and exchange visits. 

“THE DEFENDER OF A FARMER IS A FARMER”

Smallholder farmers in Tanzania constitutes about sixty eight percent of the workforce in farming, both in rural and urban areas. However, eighty three percent of all holdings are run by small family farmers who dominate the agricultural sector by contributing around seventy five percent of the total agricultural output. Livestock, poultry and fishing play an important role in the economy of a Tanzanian small family farm; the second source of income.

Smallholder farmers are placed at the centre of almost all agricultural policies and strategies in Tanzania, and in order to effectively utilise such opportunities and overcome structural and policy challenges, smallholder farmers’ awareness as a working class towards impediments they face is really vital.

To effect this role of awareness creation and capacity building to smallholder farmers leaders, Mtandao wa Vikundi Tanzania (MVIWATA) a member based organization is organizing trainings to leaders of farmers groups at regional and district levels.

The trainings focuses on mobilising and leading farmers groups, advocacy at grassroots level, understanding the essence of class struggles in the society, political economy and modes of production, the philosophy, vision and mission of MVIWATA, government strategies and priorities in agriculture and lastly smallholder farmers’ formation and management of financial services (VICOBA and SACCOS).

Speaking before Morogoro District Commissioner Hon, Regina Chonjo during closing of six days training to 42 smallholder farmers from Dodoma, Manyara and Morogoro regions organized at MVIWATA Headquarters, MVIWATA Executive Director Mr, Stephen Ruvuga said such trainings are party of MVIWATA’s strategy to capacitate smallholder farmers with awareness of issues surrounding their production systems.

Hon, Regina Chonjo on her side praised the initiatives waged by MVIWATA for being an exemplary and outstanding mode of farmers association in the country. She said the government of Tanzania recognises the vital role played by MVIWATA to smallholder farmers in Tanzania. She as well urged participants of the trainings to be good ambassadors and transfer the knowledge gained to fellow smallholder farmers in their respective groups.  

These trainings are preceded by trainings on preventive measures against the COVID-19 disease to participants by a medical doctor. Preventive measures against COVID-19 disease are always in place during trainings organized by MVIWATA as part of adopting to the “new normal”.

MVIWATA ensures these recommended precautions and social distancing practices to aid in the slowing of the spread of Covid-19 and encourages everyone to take measures to keep themselves and our community healthy and safe.