USAID-TAPP Monthly Bulletin #66: May 2015

to enhance smallholder farmer productivity, crop diversification, and 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 focuses on the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor (SAGCOT), a region identified by the Tanzanian government as conducive for agricultural growth. Positive International Ltd (PIL), a partner of TAPP, has expanded its reach to smallholder farmers in the southern zone by opening several new shops. These shops provide improved access to agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilizers, and other essential products, saving farmers money in transportation costs. PIL has also conducted trainings on hybrid seeds, fertigation, record keeping, and integrated pest control, creating awareness among farmers about the appropriate products to use. The availability of inputs has had a positive impact on farmers, with Julius Panga, an owner of the franchise shops, reporting an increase in the sale of agricultural products due to the strategic location of the shops near smallholder farmers. Panga also noted that PIL's sophisticated system has assured the timely availability of inputs, reducing delays and scarcity of products. Farmers have adopted the use of hybrid seeds and pest control inputs, resulting in increased production, particularly with the use of Sukari F1 seeds, which have yielded more than two kilograms per watermelon fruit. TAPP has also expanded nutrition training through kitchen gardens and orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) distribution. In May, a total of 1,358 individuals received nutrition, HIV/AIDS, and kitchen garden establishment training in over 40 villages in Mbeya, Kilimanjaro, and Arusha. The training was followed by the distribution of over 9,800 OFSP vines, with four multiplication tunnels established for vine multiplication. The vines were distributed to 168 smallholder farmers in Rungwe, Mbeya region, to be planted for open field multiplication. USAID-TAPP partners, including Rungwe Small Tea Growers Association (RSTGA), Child Reach, and Global Service Corps (GSC), have also seen impressive results in May. RSTGA received 8,000 OFSP vines from Eco-Agri Consult and trained over 300 individuals on HIV/AIDS prevention, nutrition, and kitchen garden establishment, with over 100 kitchen gardens established in homesteads of beneficiaries. Child Reach established an OFSP tunnel and multiplication plot at Ghona Primary School in Kilimanjaro and planted vines for tubers in four other schools. GSC trained 589 farmers on nutrition, agriculture, and HIV/AIDS in Arusha, Tanga, and Manyara, during which 61 kitchen gardens were established.