National Research Institutions

This document is a compilation of 20 African Indegenous crops which are underutilised. It describes the crops, where they grow, how they grow  and their uses. Examples include finger millet, baobab, enset and egusi. It is a result of a study which was done by Worldwatch Institute.

The Morama bean project is a program sponsored by SIDA in collaboration with the Swedish Trade Council under its 2010- 2012 partner driven collaboration. This project is currently being implemented in Botswana and Namibia in collaboration with five consortium partners.

The mineral content of nine landraces of bambara groundnut cultivated in Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland respectively was investigated. The raw seeds were analysed for Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, Cu, Fe and Zn. The ranges (mg/100 g dry matter) obtained for the macro minerals are: Ca 37-128, K 1545-2200, Mg 159-335, Na 16-25, P 313-563, and for the micro minerals (ppm): Cu 3.0-13.2, Fe 23.0-150 and Zn 13.9- 77.0. There were similarities and differences in the components determined in the landraces grown in a particular country and between the same landraces grown in different countries. This legume is a good source of, Ca, K, Mg, P and Fe. The Mg and P contents are similar to those of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea, P 376 and Mg 168). Landraces grown in Swaziland seem to have higher mineral contents than those grown in Botswana and Namibia. The concentration of the minerals in this legume indicates that they could be useful in the diets of consumers in Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia.

Cocoyam production has the potential of significantly improving the food security status and income levels of farmers in the Lake Victoria region. The study covered various areas of the three East African states, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as follows: Kisumu, Kakamega and Siaya districts in Kenya; Bukoba in Tanzania; and Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala in Uganda.

In 2015, FANRPAN in partnership with the Global Alliance on Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) conducted Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA): Case studies in Tanzania and Malawi. It was under a project "Perspectives on Climate-Smart Agriculture from Across the Globe". The purpose of the study was to analyze gaps in the existing policy frameworks and identify relevant policy options.

Subsequent to the National Climate Change Strategy (2012), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Co-operatives (MAFC) sought to outline a sector specific response to climate change impacts. This plan aims to provide the crop-agriculture sub-sector of Tanzania with a risk-based analysis and, subsequently, a plan for meeting the most urgent challenges posed by climate change.

Government is committed to adopt best practices which can accommodate climate change impacts to boost the agricultural sector in the country.

This remark was made in Dar es Salaam yesterday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Florens Turuka, during a Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Guidelines National Validation Workshop.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is promoted extensively to increase the productivity and environmental sustainability of maize production systems across sub-Saharan Africa and is often listed as a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practice. However, the impacts of CA on food security, resilience/adaptive capacity and climate change mitigation are location-dependent and it is unknown whether CA can simultaneously address CSA’s multiple objectives. Here we evaluate four variations of CA: reduced tillage plus mulch (mulch), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous cover crop (Lablab), reduced tillage plus mulch and leguminous trees (CAWT), and reduced tillage plus mulch and nitrogen fertilizer (CA + F)—for their effect on CSA-relevant outcomes in highland Tanzania maize production.

The theme of this year’s Annual Forum is Climate-Smart Agriculture in Action. GACSA’s ambitious future is based upon supporting and inspiring action. Farmers, fishers, foresters, and ranchers are at the center of this action, and therefore GACSA is devoting its Annual Forum to showcasing climate-smart agriculture in action.

These content shouws a footage on MUVI Tanzania Video.