More and more capable

The increase in feed prices in Tanzania has pushed local communities to take new paths

The world is now fully interconnected. Without exception, not even the most exotic and remote places. This has also allowed us to spread innovation and seize some new opportunities there. But also, now with worrying frequency, to put to the test those who are already "normally" in conditions of serious poverty, due to the repercussions of war, climate crises, interruptions in commercial food supply chains, and speculation always ready to flare up.

Mkiu, central southern Tanzania, is therefore no exception. Over years of hard work, a large agricultural and artisan center has developed in the parish which produces many different foods, provides jobs, supports services for the people with its revenues, and is a training opportunity for many young people who learn techniques that then they spread to their families, improving their lives and averting emigration.

But the virtuous balances, laboriously achieved, are sometimes suddenly compromised. Farms, in particular those of chickens and fish, have been heavily affected - like those throughout the rest of the world - by feed prices that have skyrocketed wildly since 2022, both for their component of raw materials and additives protein.

Here as everywhere, farmers, especially small ones, have found themselves working at a loss. The availability of feed which had previously allowed rapid growth of the animals raised, and placing them on the market at affordable prices, has now transformed into a boomerang, leading rather to a contraction of the animals: fewer eggs, less poultry, less fish... costs are a variable , but not the selling prices, given the limited purchasing power of the people. In the projects we promote, we are well aware that their sustainability depends on real growth in capacity. Which, alongside indispensable economic resources, is nourished first and foremost by skills, technical knowledge and professionalism, organized and shared free of charge.

The development of the Mkiu Agricultural Center was based on creating conditions of autonomy step by step. The challenge of no longer being able to practically use feed pushed us to respond by quickly giving priority to an already imagined project of self-production of what was necessary to feed the farms. This requires some resources, but above all it benefits from the sharing of knowledge and experiences by agronomist friends.

Portions of land were therefore dedicated to growing herbs, alfalfa and sugar cane; to mix together with cereal bran, and more. The most important component - and by far the most expensive - is the protein component, which is crucial for achieving faster growth and animal well-being. Vegetable proteins: for example those of lemna and azolla, tiny plants that are grown in small tanks. Animal proteins: worms – can be bred simply, in structures that exploit a limited amount of surface area; and fly larvae – black soldier flies, which are not vehicles for transmitting pathogens. A small irrigation system will serve the production, to guarantee efficiency to the entire process. Obviously, the development of new skills in the agricultural and artisanal center immediately becomes the prerequisite for spreading them, in particular through the young people who come to train. So that sustainability is the result for everyone.

Mauro Palombo

NP Novembre 2023

SE VUOI AIUTARCI

Associazione Sermig

Re.Te. per lo Sviluppo

IBAN: IT29 P030 6909 6061 0000 0001 481