IITA Tanzania, researchers, farmers, and agricultural stakeholders in Coastal and Dar es Salaam regions convened at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Kibaha campus for a farmer field day event organized by TARI Kibaha in May. The campus was in a festive mood with different exhibitions for more than 100 attendees.
The farmers were introduced to IITA agricultural innovations, including the Plant Village Nuru, a tool that diagnoses plant diseases using a mobile phone; the Afya soil Kit, which measures soil health; AKILIMO, which provides agronomic advice and recommendations; and the Cassava seed tracker, an app that shows where farmers can access clean cassava seeds within their proximities.
The field day created the opportunity and space for farmers to learn and witness the new, improved technologies that would enhance their farming operations.
At the IITA booth, Kibaha District commissioner, Sarah Msafiri, lauded the Institute’s innovations and underlined the need to maintain partnerships with other agricultural institutes and farmers. “I would like to recommend that IITA disseminate these innovations to more farmers and extension officers. I am particularly interested in Plant Village Nuru because if farmers can detect the diseases, it would be much easier to combat them,” Sarah said.
Khadija Masawanga, Kibaha extension officer, was fascinated with the lamp machine due to its high capacity to diagnose cassava diseases quickly in the field. Other good elements of the technology are its portability, time efficiency, and affordability. IITA uses the tool to train seed inspectors to do their work effectively, assuring farmers of clean seed to boost their yields.
“You are doing a fantastic work for the benefit of the farmers and the whole country, if the farmers get high yields, their income will increase, and the government revenue will also increase,” She noted.
Moreover, the farmers and stakeholders learned how Information and Communication Technology tools are crucial in modern farming, especially in facilitating agricultural practices like getting information about good agronomic recommendations and markets. They learned to use their smartphones to enhance productivity. For instance, with the Plant Village Nuru app, participants witnessed how Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) and Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) are diagnosed. While with the AKILIMO app, they learned how to get site-specific recommendations for cassava growing, including the yield predictions.
Nuhu Chakinde, a 57-year-old farmer from Mkuranga, saw the smartphone as a massive opportunity for their farming operations after seeing the functions it can do beyond those he is used to. “I am happy! This is a big opportunity for us farmers. Now I know how to effectively use my phone for important functions like immediate disease diagnosis on crops for quick results. But also, I am super excited about the AKILIMO app since I can get much information about cassava growing,” Nuhu said excitedly.
Hashimu Omari, a 42-year-old farmer from Kibaha, noted that the appropriate use of these innovations would address the shortage of agricultural experts. “These technologies are excellent, and if they reach many farmers, they will help us reduce extension service challenges, especially when facing disease challenges,” Hashimu said.
This suite of cassava-focused digital tools will help revolutionize information provision for farmers and enable them to improve their productivity and livelihoods.
Contributed by Hadi Rashid
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