FAO.org

Ali Abeid is a young agropreneur from Fujoni village in the island of Unguja in Zanzibar.

He attended a 2 weeks training organized by FAO using the Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS) methodology in June 2011 in Kibaha, mainland Tanzania. During the training, Ali strengthened his knowledge on agricultural skills, climate change adaptation and mitigation, entrepreneurship, processing and marketing. The training also provided a unique opportunity to network and share ideas with other participants from both Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.  

Since 2010, he has been a member of the Bahari Haikauki cooperative, which is affiliated with the Cooperative Union of Zanzibar (CUZA). He joined the cooperative and the union mainly for knowledge sharing and to increase collaborative work. Income improved substantially in the household since he joined the cooperative. The Bahari Haikauki cooperative has diversified activities mainly in the agriculture sector (bananas, fish, horticulture) with some increasing art crafts activities done by the affiliated young women, women members.

Ali focuses his work on producing bananas, spinach and okra. His products are completely  organic as he does not use any chemical pesticide. Instead, he uses local medicinal plants, such as the mwarubaini which has long been known for its medicinal and pesticides properties and it is claimed to cure 40 different diseases, hence its local name, mwarubaini (arubaini is Kiswahili for 40), known elsewhere as the neem. He says that the benefits of organic agriculture return in terms of quality, taste and environmental sustainability. He sells his produce both in the local market and to the hotel industry. 

Climate change variability is an issue in Unguja. Ali has noticed an increase in recurrent droughts in the island in the past 5 years. His capacity to adapt to climate change has been strengthened by introducing different crops which are more suitable for the new climate environment and by improving his water management practices. 

In the Fujoni village, Ali has mobilized 20 local unemployed youth (11 young women and 9 young men) and he is voluntarily training them using the JFFLS methodology he learnt in Kibaha in 2011 while showing them the benefits of pursuing a career in agriculture.  

The rate of youth unemployment in Zanzibar is raising and the agriculture sector has a good potential to provide employment opportunities and Ali wishes to see more young people like him in the agriculture sector. 

Contact in Tanzania: Eliamoni Lyatuu, National Coordinator ([email protected])

Contact in FAO HQ: Francesca Dalla Valle, Youth Employment and Institutional Partnerships Specialist ([email protected])

For more info on youth employment activities in Tanzania: www.fao-ilo.org/ilo-dec-employ/ica/malawi-and-tanzania/yep/en/