EFF Strengthens Partnership with TARI to Boost Cashew Cultivation

Recognizing the power of partnerships and collaboration as a key step towards empowering smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, our team, led by Technical Advisor Francis Boma, Programs Manager Mathew Jilani, and Tanzania Country Manager Freddy Leonce, visited both the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) headquarters in Dodoma Region and the TARI Naliendele center, in Mtwara Region.

Upon arrival, our team was warmly welcomed by TARI’s 2nd Deputy Director, Dr. Hildelitha Msita, and her management team. Dr. Msita provided an overview of TARI’s core mandates, highlighting the institute’s commitment to agricultural innovation and sustainable development. She emphasized that partnerships with NGOs like EFF are integral to TARI’s mission of supporting smallholder farmers through the development and dissemination of research-driven technologies.

In response, Freddy articulated the vision and mission of EFF, which is centered on reducing poverty by empowering smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through sustainable agroforestry programs, EFF aims to enhance food security, income generation, carbon sequestration, and environmental resilience. A cornerstone of our initiatives is the promotion of cashew trees—strategically chosen for their dual potential to boost farmers’ incomes and significantly sequester carbon dioxide.

A Strategic Partnership for Cashew Cultivation

Following the fruitful discussions at TARI headquarters, our delegation proceeded to the TARI Naliendele center. Here, we were welcomed by Acting Center Director Dr. Wilson Nene, who also serves as the National Coordinator of the Cashew Research Program.

Dr. Nene and his team provided an in-depth orientation on Naliendele’s research focus, which spans the development of new cashew varieties, agronomy practices, and value-added products. The center’s impressive track record in developing 62 cashew varieties and advancing best practices aligns perfectly with EFF’s goals. Our team has requested priority access to cashew seeds to support its agroforestry programs to address the Foundation’s cashew seed supply chain gap.

This collaboration allows us to pool TARI’s extensive research capabilities with EFF’s grassroots programs to support small-scale farmers in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia to become wealthier, climate adaptive & food secure.

Agricultural Productivity: Enhance agricultural productivity through sustainable and climate-smart practices, improved access to quality seeds, fertilisers, and modern technologies, and training for small-scale farmers. b. Irrigation and Water Management: Promote water conservation techniques, efficient irrigation systems, and integrated water resource management to ensure a reliable water supply for agriculture. c. Diversification: Encourage crop diversification to enhance food availability and household nutrition by promoting the cultivation of smart food crops and high-value crops for increased income generation. d. Storage and Distribution: Strengthen post-harvest management and improve storage infrastructure to reduce household food losses; and promote efficient aggregation systems for improved inputs distribution and access to markets. e. Market Linkages & Financial Services: Support the establishment or farmer cooperatives/ organisations for effective produce aggregation and market linkages, and provide technical assistance to enable small-scale producers to access domestic and international markets and financial services, fostering income generation and economic growth. f. Skills Training and Capacity Building: Facilitate agronomic training, entrepreneurship development, and business management skills to enhance the capacity of smallholder farmers and communities to generate sustainable incomes.
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