U.S. and Tanzania celebrate a decade of successful joint agricultural program worth USD 38 Million

Marking a decade of successful collaboration, the United States and the Tanzanian Government, celebrated the achievements of the innovative Participating Agency Service Agreement program.

Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA) is a program being implemented jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Agency in International development (USAID) to bolster agriculture capacity.

Since the inception of the program in 2013, the U.S. government has generously contributed over USD 38 million to empower Tanzania’s agriculture sector.

It was stated during the culmination event in Dodoma that the substantial investment has played a pivotal role in strengthening Tanzania’s agricultural systems.

It also enabled the sectors to embrace climate-smart practices, while also facilitating data collection and analysis to enhance food security.

Notably, the PASA program has fostered resilient food and market systems while nurturing a conducive environment for mutual trade growth, local economic development, and overcoming food security challenges.

As a result, Tanzania has laid the groundwork for sustainable, resilient, and inclusive growth, making this a momentous occasion to celebrate.

“With USAID-USDA funding, we have witnessed a substantial impact created by the PASA program in various areas of Tanzania that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as Dodoma, Morogoro, Iringa in the southern highlands, and Lindi on the coast,” stated the Zanzibar Minister of Agriculture Zanzibar, Shamata Khamis.

“Climate change poses a significant threat to food security and the livelihoods of our people. Tanzania is among the countries heavily affected by climate change, experiencing rainfall variability, high temperatures, and the spread of diseases that have disrupted our food systems and compromised food safety and security”.

“A landmark achievement of our partnership is the creation of Aflasafe Tanzania. This innovative product, the first of its kind in Tanzania, effectively combats the significant threat of aflatoxins contamination in key staple crops.

With local production in Arusha, we are now safeguarding the country’s maize crop and enabling continued trade across East Africa,” revealed the USAID Tanzania Economic Growth Office Director Colin Dreizin.

“Thousands of Tanzanian farmers have been trained in the use of Aflasafe, further improving Tanzania’s food security and market access by keeping crops free of aflatoxins.”

USDA and USAID collaborated with Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture on both the mainland and in Zanzibar.

It engaged several implementing partners, including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), and Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT).

The event included a field visit to the Bihawana Youth Agriculture Center to observe youth engaged in various agricultural production activities, including smart-irrigation technology demonstrations and clean energy innovations.