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Realisation period 2023
Location Kagera, Tanzania
Contact Geraldina Mushema
Date
15.03.2024
By
Kolping Society of Tanzania

Compost manure: increasing food security and income

Topic: Sustainable Livelihoods
Sustainable Livelihoods
Gender Equality
East Africa
Learn&Share: knowhow3000

problem & solution

Soil infertility and lack of knowledge on good agronomic practices to improve soil fertility caused food shortages in Bwira Village. Even though the small scale farmers in the community spent most of their time in their fields, the yields remained very low.

Moreover, women in the community were excluded from financial decisions at household level due to the fact that they did not generate any income.

The solution was to produce and apply environment-friendly compost manure, to achieve food security and to generate income.

the experience

  1. An initial situational analysis showed that the ‘Lubungo’ manure which farmers obtained from kitchen waste, was poorly constituted and decomposed, hence lacked adequate nutrients and led to low yields.
  2. Training was then conducted, capacitating the farmers to use different ingredients to produce high quality compost manure and to know the importance of each ingredient.
  3. Gender mainstreaming and gender balance was upheld across the process. 70% of the participants were women while the field facilitators as well as marketing committee teams had both men and women.
  4. Practical field demonstrations were conducted, on how to apply the manure on selected plots. As a result, yields doubled.

Challenges

  • Animal manure is inadequate as a main ingredient in compost making. This challenge is being addressed through introduction of animal revolving scheme

Impact

  • Increased income from yields, hence improved livelihoods. Farmers can now construct permanent houses, educate their children beyond primary school and to afford two meals a day
  • Improved food security has reduced household conflicts, including cases of Gender Based Violence
  • Environment conservation through use of recycled organic materials
  • Government recognition of Kolping as a strategic and leading partner in Agriculture

Lessons Learned

  • Livelihood improvements from agriculture are greater sustained when raw materials are locally available and accessible
  • Gender mainstreaming ensures more equal access and control of assets, including natural resources

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