Bringing back hope to earthquake and drought affected communities in Kagera
The afternoon of September 10, 2016 will remain in the minds of Kagera region residents forever. On that particular date, a 5.9 Richter scale earthquake struck the region killing 19 people while injuring more than 400 others with 2,072 buildings reduced into rubbles. A total of 14,000 other buildings developed major cracks. The earthquake and prolonged drought compounded the risk of food shortages and seed scarcity.
Kagera Regional Commissioner, Maj. Gen. (retired), Salum Mustafa Kijuu, recalls how shocking the situation was. “When the earthquake struck, we were devastated. People lost lives with widespread destruction to infrastructure and property. Food production was also disrupted. For sure, it was the worst incident ever experienced in the region,” he says.
According to him, the damage caused was so big and widespread to the extent that the region could not handle on its own hence they had to call for support. “We received short-term support from various partners in form of immediate needs including food, medicine, infrastructure rehabilitation. Our special thanks go to FAO who perceived the long-term plan for restoring livelihoods of the people in the region. People have managed to recollect themselves and move on,” he says.
Restoring livelihoods
Explaining the intervention, FAO National Food Security and Nutrition Officer, Julius Sonoko, says that the ‘Support Livelihood restoration to the disaster affected communities in Kagera Region of Tanzania’ project is implemented in Kagera region for two years with a budget of USD 299,000 (TZS 669.15 million). “We’re building the capacity of farmers through the Farmer Field School approach, supporting agriculture to ensure food and nutrition security. We’re providing agro-inputs, including livestock (dairy goats, pigs, chickens) and fish to the affected communities to practice modern farming,” he says.
The project has after one year now reached 2,498 farmers (57 percent women) in Bukoba Urban, Bukoba Rural, Missenyi, Kyerwa and Muleba districts where farmers have been supported through training, agro inputs and equipment. Mr. Sonoko discloses that 145 acres of cassava, nutritious sweet potatoes, maize and bio-fortified beans are cultivated; and 3,880 clean banana suckers are expected to be planted by farmers during the long rain season. 50 dairy goats and 30 pigs have been distributed to beneficiaries in Muleba and Kyerwa districts respectively.
Besides, the project has also conducted and built capacity of the Regional Disaster Committee and journalists on the concept of disaster reduction and response, roles of disaster committees and disaster acts. In addition the project has also developed a training manual on agriculture and livestock for use by extension workers and farmers. “The project has recorded major strides. The communities and the Government in the region have been supportive and cooperative. We look forward to even more successes,” Mr. Sonoko says.
New hopes
Speaking about the project and its impact, Missenyi District Commissioner, Denis Mwila, says that now hope has been restored among the locals who were the hardest hit by the earthquake. The epicentre was reported to be at an area called Minziro in the district where the earthquake had a big toll on human life and destruction to property.
“Our district was the hardest hit. Many houses were reduced into rubbles. People couldn't go on with their farming activities as usual. As a result, we suffered acute food shortage afterwards. We had to ask for food aid. However, today the farmers here are happy. The situation is quite different now. When you go around you can see crops shining in the fields. We expect a bumper harvest this time round,” he says.
Pius Nestory a small-holder farmer and a secretary of the Tuinuane Group, one of the groups formed under the project, appreciates the support they have received through modern ways of farming and provision of agro inputs. “So far we have managed to produce enough food for our families. We sell the excess food in our villages and even outside the district. We now aim to increase our farmland, produce more for market and add value to our crops in order to earn more money,” he says. They’re expecting to harvest 18 tonnes of cassava in the coming harvesting season, he pointed out.
Muleba District Commissioner echoes the same message. “In my district, we’re food sufficient this year. Despite much of our land being semi-arid, farmers have harvested enough for their family needs and excess for selling. The project has indeed brought a great difference. Farmers have been trained on how to select seeds that would withstand drought and which mature in the shortest time possible. They have also learnt other good agricultural practices such as mulching that conserves moisture from drying up from the soil. This is a big revolution,” he says.
A researcher at Maruku Agriculture Research Centre, Dr. Magdalena William, famously known in Maruku area as ‘Mama Maharage’ with support from the project has done a great job in promoting three varieties of improved bean seeds rich in iron and zinc and farmers who planted them got good harvest that help their families. This intervention, together with the provision of nutrition education to communities in the villages, targets to address the problem of malnutrition especially among children that was exacerbated by the earthquake and prolonged drought in the region. “Pregnant mothers, children and men are benefitting from these nutritious beans. In general, families are in good health,” she says.
Scaling up good practices
FAO Representative, Mr. Fred Kafeero, says the project is expected to scale-up good agricultural practices and other modern approaches in order to enhance productivity. It will reduce the impact on climate related risks to farmers, and improve food and nutrition security of farmers,” he says.
Impressed by the level of commitment and success recorded so far, the Kagera Regional Commissioner, Salum Mustafa Kijuu, pledged financial support to a tune of 5.1 million Tanzanian shillings and provision of cassava processing machines for the groups under the project in order to add value to their produce and earn more money. “Cassava flour is a hotcake in the countries neighbouring us here. So we’ll enable our farmers to process their cassava and sell the value added products to the neighbouring countries,” he says. He also encourages farmers to join in groups so that he could guarantee them with tractor loans that would enable them to expand their production.