{"id":13910,"date":"2026-06-20T12:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/best-cassava-project-supports-cassava-transformation-in-handeni-district\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:35:26","slug":"best-cassava-project-supports-cassava-transformation-in-handeni-district","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/best-cassava-project-supports-cassava-transformation-in-handeni-district\/","title":{"rendered":"BEST cassava project supports cassava transformation in Handeni District"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 70% of families in Handeni District, Tanga region, suffering from food insecurity and hunger for years, leading to poor performance and dropouts in schools, the leaders and agriculture department at the district level had to seek a solution for their community. Growing cassava as a food crop is an immediate option to fight hunger and malnutrition in schools because of its drought tolerance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BEST
A beneficiary farmer of Handeni model, Alamin Baruti, giving a tour of his farm to show the performance of the cassava seeds distributed to him by the CSEs in Handeni district. (IITA\/G.Ndibalema)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four years after introducing cassava to the district, primary school pupils\u2019 retention improved from 18% in 2015 to 77% in 2019, while passing performance improved from 58% in 2015 to 88% in 2020. These positive impacts increased demand for more cassava within the community, and the district leaders had to find new ways to increase availability and access to cassava seed materials for increased cassava production; thus, the beginning of the Handeni Model.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Handeni model is a collaborative approach used by the district leadership and other stakeholders to increase food security, improve nutrition, and provide income to families through cassava production in the Handeni district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The district leadership invited the Building an Economically Sustainable seed system for Cassava in Tanzania (BEST Cassava) project to support increasing the availability of clean seeds of improved cassava varieties. BEST Cassava is implemented by MEDA, IITA<\/a>, and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BEST
IITA researchers Ally Ng\u2019adoa (left), Kiddo Mtunda (centre) and MEDA zonal field officer Asael John (right) touring in Alamin Baruti, a beneficiary farmer of Handeni model.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BEST Cassava team linked the district to formal cassava seed system entrepreneurs to supply clean planting material to farmers. Moreover, the district partnered with banks and secured a bank loan worth 3 billion Tshs for Handeni farmers as capital for cassava production. They also provided a market linkage by partnering with cassava processors to purchase the cassava roots as dried chips once harvested. The district linked with markets, including cassava starch processors, who got an assured market supply for the product in and out of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stakeholders endorsed collaboration because they agreed about the underutilization of the crop in the district. The banks identified the opportunity to work with the small business sector because the district had invented a sustainable system that involved essential stakeholders along the value chain that assured minimal risks on returns from the loans they provide to farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur initial objective was to grow cassava for food security, to save our community from hunger because the late president John Pombe Magufuli gave directives to stop providing food aid to regions affected by hunger,\u201d said Mary Missokia, the district\u2019s Cassava Coordinator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe model guarantees cassava supply from farmers for our industry; we also expect to have good quality since farmers are closely working with experts,\u201d said Beneath Behutha, Operations Manager, Dar Canton Investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough the collective model, we are assured of a sustainable market of clean cassava seeds because the local government has offered us the tender of distributing the seeds to farmers in Handeni. This has challenged us on logistical arrangements to deliver in time and expand our seed farm sizes that will accommodate farmers\u2019 orders,\u201d explained Raymond Nziyajose, a member of Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn product market aspects, we are also guaranteed quality and enough cassava roots for starch processing for our export market because the district management has connected us directly with the farmers who produce cassava,\u201d added Beneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis model is a good deal for us as bankers because there is risk-sharing of investments among stakeholders. The government acts as a middleman who supervises the farmers to follow the agronomy practices to get the products expected; it also acts as a sponsor to ensure loan returns,\u201d noted John Machunda, Manager, NMB bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am glad to have the opportunity to access a bank loan; also the access to clean seeds of improved varieties like Mkuranga,\u201d said Alamin Baruti, a farmer from Handeni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Missokia said that by working with experienced researchers from IITA and MEDA, Handeni farmers and extension officers could learn about cassava agronomy practices. \u201cOur district used to be a maize-growing area; many had little knowledge on cassava growing. Even our extension officers had forgotten about the practices. But through this model, farmers have learned about cassava; thus, there were misunderstandings between the farmers and seed distributors on the delay of providing seeds because farmers wanted to apply what they learned,\u201d she proudly noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handeni model stakeholders noted that despite the initiative\u2019s good progress, some lessons are to be considered for improving the model and scaling up. The lessons include increasing availability and access of clean improved cassava seeds to farmers, increased investment in cassava seed production, intensive and proper vetting of farmers groups who are cassava agripreneurs, and increased awareness about the Handeni model and its procedures among farmers. Moreover, capacity building for farmers about agripreneur thinking in their cassava farming activities also came up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handeni is one among eight districts of Tanga region in the northern part of Tanzania. For many years Handeni community grew maize as their primary staple food until 2016, when maize productivity significantly dropped due to unfavorable climate conditions leading to food insecurity.\u00a0 The district leaders then decided to introduce the cassava crop.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With 70% of families in Handeni District, Tanga region, suffering from food insecurity and hunger for years, leading to poor performance and dropouts in schools…<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":13911,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[653],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[27],"news-type":[],"hub":[],"crop":[66],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[199],"class_list":["post-13910","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-best-cassava-projectcassava-transformation-in-handeni-districtiita-news-no-2603","location-tanzania","crop-cassava","item-year-199"],"yoast_head":"\nBEST cassava project supports cassava transformation in Handeni District - 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