USAID-TAPP monthly bulletin #47 | October 2013

to enhance smallholder farmer incomes through increased productivity, crop diversification, and improved market access. The program is part of the Feed the Future initiative, a global hunger and food security program led by the US government. TAPP is focusing on the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor (SAGCOT), a region identified by the Tanzanian government as conducive for agricultural growth. To improve the diet of pregnant women and young children in Tanzania, TAPP has integrated nutrition education and sweet potato cultivation into its health and nutrition program. In October 2013, 21,000 vines of orange flesh sweet potatoes (OFSP) were distributed to project farmer groups in Turiani and Morogoro regions. OFSP is rich in vitamin A, a critical micronutrient lacking in many African diets. Consuming these micronutrients can result in improved physical development, overall well-being, and increased intellectual capacity. TAPP health and nutrition specialists trained 1,083 individuals from various regions on good health, positive nutritional habits, and improved food utilization. This knowledge will contribute to the elimination of the current food gaps and nutritional deficit in Tanzania. Project partners, Global Service Corps and Rungwe Smallholders Tea Growers Association, extended the project's outreach services with communal trainings. Global Service Corps supported 385 households with access to community gardens through the establishment of keyhole gardens in Kilimanjaro and Tanga. RSTGA trained 475 individuals in Rugwe living with HIV/AIDS on nutritional interventions. The region of Dodoma, once viewed as arid land, is now part of TAPP's zone of intervention. In October, 19 new farmer groups from Kongwa and Mpwapwa districts in Dodoma were added to the program. Project agronomist, Deogratias Ndeonio, trained these new groups in good agricultural practices, including land preparation, raised beds, and using sorghum as a live barrier. The selected crops of production are sweet pepper, tomato, and cabbage. Farmers from the Swahili coast have seen significant profits from their harvests, thanks to implementing TAPP's basic practices in their crop productions. Along the coast of Dar es Salaam, the Saire Farmers Group harvested 18,800 kgs of tomatoes under drip irrigation, earning Tsh 8,000,000 ($5,096) from total sales. The Mkuranga Green Farmer Group made Tsh 4,000,000 ($2,548) profit from 5,000 kgs of watermelon using furrow irrigation. Market linkages are crucial for farmers to survive in the changing economic environment. TAPP marketing specialists supported four farmer groups in the Southern Highlands with access to new market opportunities and improved business relationships with buyers. Manyandomonda, Idete, Kitelewasi, and Tupendane farmer groups in Iringa were trained in crop diversification, capacity building on business skills, and agro-enterprise development, and market linkage to domestic markets. As a result, each farmer group benefitted from a fruitful profit from total sales of their products.