Formalization of Farmers Business Organizations (FBOs), in Lindi Region
From 2010 to 2012: AMSHA Institute of Rural Entrepreneurship with technical and financial support from MKURABITA, a government initiative for Property and Business Formalization, trained and technically supported 1000 sesame farmers to formalize their groups. In this intervention, 50 farmers’ groups were formed and formalized. The groups are still enjoying the benefit of being a formal business entity to date.
Muhogo Mbegu Bingwa Project
From 2016 to 2017: In collaboration with MEDA Tanzania, 10 AMSHA’s farmers participated in Mihogo Mbegu Bingwa as Quality Declared Seed producers. The project was piloting the supply chain models to bridge the gap between laboratories based research in developing new varieties, and farmers looking for new planting materials. In this project, about 25 acres of seed multiplication farms were established and owned by AMSHA’s farmers. The project worked with the national seed certification authorities to establish compliance protocols that ensure the production of quality-assured seed/stem planting material from seed multiplication entrepreneurs.
Strengthening Smallholder Business Value Chain Project
From 2017 to 2019: AMSHA Institute contracted by MEDA Tanzania to provide Business Development Services to Rice value chain in Rufiji and Kibiti Districts (built on the initiative started by CARI I as explained earlier whereby among others MEDA contributed to the construction of 30 acres demo paddy farms Mtunda village),Pineapple value chain in Kibiti District, and Sunflower value chain in Masasi District. In the pineapple value chain (In Kibiti District), whereby AMSHA worked with Tomoni Farms Limited (the off-taker) and 500 farmers in groups of 25 (the producers) while in the Sunflower Value chain (In Masasi) AMSHA worked with Temnar Limited and 200 farmers.
Youth and Women Inclusion in Agribusiness
AMSHA has been hosting Tanzania Youth in Agribusiness Forum -TYIAF, (in collaboration with ANSAF, Agriprofocus Tanzania, TGFA, and IBUTTI) which is a multi-stakeholder forum launched in Morogoro on 11th May 2013, with a MOTTO of “Kilimo Biashara ndio Mpango mzima” i.e. “Agribusiness is a real deal”. The Forum has reached 600 direct youth and agriculture stakeholders since 2013, with aim of attracting and retaining youth in agribusiness. Apart, from that AMSHA has also been participating on Youth Workers Capacity Building Program (2015-2017, 2019-2022); The Youth Worker Capacity Building Program was co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, whereby AMSHA partnered with Celjski Mladinski Center (Slovenia), VACK (Kenya), Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization (Uganda), Romanian Youth Forum (Romania), National Management School (Bulgaria), Permaculture Institute (Ghana) and Sustainable Community Development Organisation (Malawi) to implement the ACTIVE FOR FUTURE initiatives which aimed at developing skills, knowledge, and competences of youth workers, more details regarding this initiative are made available in www.activeforfuture.net
Sesame Value Chain Development
From 2010 to 2015: AMSHA in collaboration with TARI Naliendele introduced a commercial sesame farming to 3500 farmers in Kilwa District whereby new improved seed variety of “Lindi white 2002” developed by TARI – Naliendele was introduced through 30 demo plots established across Kilwa DC followed by capacity building on Good Agricultural Practices – GAP for Sesame farming as well as linking the farmers to off-takers like Imara Limited, Quality Pulses Exporter Limited, and Sunshine, since then the quality and productivity of sesame in Kilwa District has been improved and now is one among top crops that contribute significantly to income generation to the farmers and LGAs of Kilwa District.
Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI I, CARI II and CARI EA)
From 2015 to 2020: AMSHA Institute, (as a Business Development Services provider), Mambloleo Farms Limited (as a processor/ off-taker) and 100 Farmer Business Organizations (as producers, which represents about 5000 farmers in Kibiti and Rufiji Districts) formed RIMAH consortium which refers to Rice Marketing Hub in Ikwiriri. The main focus of the consortium was to transform the small-scale farmers from low-production traditional subsistence farming to high productive farming system (from 0.8MT/ha as baseline indicated to 4 MT/ha) a market-oriented production of rice by engaging them in paddy commercial production, the intervention has managed to improve the productivity of paddy to 3MT/ha. The Initiative has been supported by Kilimo trust/GIZ since then and MEDA Tanzania under Strengthen Small Holder Business Value Chain project. Hence, As a result of outstanding performance on the previous CARI projects and the need to expand the rice market hub in the Mtwara corridor, AMSHA Institute and Mamboleo Farms Limited partnered again with Kilimo Trust (supported by AGRA/USAID) from 2019 to date; to implement the Competitive African Rice Initiative East Africa - CARI EA, in Lindi region, aimed at improving paddy commercialization by increasing farmers’ yield and incomes by using established demo farm to facilitate adoption and effective utilization of sustainable rice production, improved access to quality seeds and provide a guaranteed market for 10,460 smallholder paddy farmers.
Sunflower Market Development
From 2018 to September 2020: AMSHA worked with Aga Khan Foundation to develop a market for sunflower in Kilwa District, the initiative aimed at promoting sunflower production as well as strengthening the sunflower value chain to reduce the importation of edible oil in Tanzania, 1230 farmers benefited by this intervention by having non-binding input supplying contracts with two Agrovets King David and Tingi pembejeo, as well as Good Agricultural Practices, access to the processing facilities and local market, Tanzania Postal Bank-financed 4 farmers for the farming season 2019/2020, and 4 sunflower seed processing facilities were established in Kilwa.
Lobbying, Advocacy and Learning Activities
Since 2010, AMSHA has been actively participating in various national strategies reviews such as the Agricultural policy of 2013 review, member of the task force that is reviewing National strategy of youth involvement in agriculture, various advocacy, lobbying, and learning activities organized by SACAU, EAFF, Ministry of Agriculture and other government bodies, ACT, ANSAF, TPSF to mention a few. Also, AMSHA Participated in various Business to Business – B2B meetings organized by Tantrade, as well as other trade missions such as trade missions to India in 2016 organized by the International Trade Center – ITC and trade mission to Germany in 2018 organized by the Germany Ministry of Economic affairs.