THE Foundation for Organic Agriculture Tanzania is hatching initiatives to train children, especially primary school pupils from various schools on practical-based knowledge about organic farming.
It is in efforts to inject environment friendly and healthy organic farming inspirations right from grassroots levels.
So far the foundation has trained more than 1,200 pupils in three different primary schools in Morogoro region.
Their vision is to extend the training to more schools and pupils across the country.
The FOAT Director of Strategic Initiatives, Steven Rusimbi the project focuses to empower the local community, including pupils and smallholders farmers on the basics of organic farming.
“We also intend to increase the percentage of organic produce and its relevant market within the country,” he briefed.
But FOAT is not stopping there; the foundation is already pushing and lobbying for friendly and practicable policies relating to organic farming in Tanzania.
They are also advocating for proper research on organic seed varieties, bio pesticides and organic technologies.
In short the foundation is building a base for the future of organic farming.
“We are building a new generation of environmentally friendly agriculture and healthy harvests, the one that will help to ensure Tanzania becomes the ultimate producer of organic food crops.”
As for the pupils being trained; “They have adopted the training to the extent of opening organic clubs in their respective schools, through which they’re now growing vegetables and other farm produce.”
The pupils have gone far to the tune of establishing ‘kitchen gardens’, the development which have appeared to impress most of their parents.
“Our focus is to have the bright future of organic farming in Tanzania in which the Tanzanians will be consuming organic foods, the highly recommended healthier diets that will assist them to escape from shackles of diverse diseases which are being caused by consumption of the foods that have been produced through application of chemicals,” he insisted.
Foundation for Organic Agriculture Tanzania (FOATZ) is a non-governmental organization that provides knowledge and services to small farmers, especially marginalized farmers who have inadequate knowledge of ecological organic farming techniques, market skills of natural products, and sustainable livelihoods.
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