By Hamad Rashid
At the 30th anniversary of PELUM Tanzania held in Dodoma, the main agenda focused on one important question: Can Tanzania build sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient agricultural systems?
That answer gained new strength after the Government through the Ministry of Agriculture officially announced its commitment to closely collaborate with PELUM Tanzania and other stakeholders in the process of reforming the 2013 National Agricultural Policy.
Government Seals New Partnership for Agroecology
Speaking at the event held at the end of last week, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Stephen Nindi, clearly promised that PELUM Tanzania would be part of the ongoing policy review process, emphasizing that the contribution of this network is significant and unique.
“The government will continue to collaborate with you in improving agricultural policy. You who reach more than one million farmers, will give us a large and sufficient feedback for policy improvements.” said Nindi
Nindi added that this partnership will help the nation stand firm against the challenges of climate change and increase production through ecological agriculture.
Stephen Nindi: Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture while addressing hundreds of participants at the 30th Anniversary Celebrations of PELUM Tanzania.
Pelum Tanzania: 30 Years of Advancing Agroecological Reform
For PELUM Tanzania, this new policy light is a victory that has been awaited for more than a decade. As the Coordinator, Donath Senzia says:
“The policy reform process was stalled after it started in 2025/16, and many of the recommendations for agroecological reform were not included in the 2013 policy. This is a great opportunity to incorporate what farmers have proven over the years into the Policy.”
According to Senzia, from reaching only 500 farmers in the early years, to more than 1,000,000 farmers today, the PELUM network is built on the foundations of collaboration, research, training, and innovation of smallholder farmers.
Donath Senzia: Country Coordinator of PELUM Tanzania.
Stories of Change from Farmers
Clara Malle, a smallholder farmer from Babati District, is a living example of actionable change. Through PELUM, she has been empowered to add value to her crops (nutrition, tea, pea flour) and has participated in training in South Africa and Kenya on ecological farming and women’s leadership.
“My success, including going to South Africa and Kenya, is due to PELUM Tanzania. I am practicing ecological farming productively and running my life,” said Clara Malle.
Clara Malle at her product display Table.
Also, Godson Sivitie from Manyara says, “30 years of PELUM is a success, the training I received has helped me produce valuable products like Cocoa beans for tea.”
Testimonials from Members: “PELUM is a Solid Foundation for Organic Agriculture”
Ayesiga Buberwa from Island of Peace Tanzania, a member of PELUM Tanzania said, “The strength of PELUM lies in its members who reach out to the smallholder farmer directly, that is where change happens.”
The Director of TAGRODE, Zuberi Mwachulla, adds, “PELUM has enabled us to access education, financial resources, and even implement joint projects. It has contributed to agricultural policies and has helped smallholder farmers adapt to climate change.”
30 Years of Measurable Achievements.
However, among the achievements mentioned by the PELUM Tanzania Coordinator, over the past 30 years include:
- Construction of the new PELUM Tanzania headquarters, a 3-storey building worth over TZS 1.4 billion
- Strengthening services to farmers through training, processing, entrepreneurship, and indigenous seeds
- Establishing 80 indigenous seed banks in 16 regions
- Increasing the project budget from USD 100,000 in 2002 to an average of USD 1.5 million per year now
- Providing grants of over TZS 1.6 billion to groups and community organizations over a period of 4 years
Participants at the 30th anniversary celebrations of PELUM Tanzania.
Farmers and value-adders of various products were able to exchange experiences among themselves at the 30th anniversary of PELUM Tanzania
A variety of local seeds were showcased at the celebration.
