PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

MAF BUNDA DISTRICT

AUGUST 2013

A. INTRODUCTION

The Millennium development goals Acceleration Framework- MAF Project is being undertaken by the Presidents’ Office Planning

Commission (POPC)/ UNDP in collaboration with Bunda District Council and Third Millennium Peace Initiative Foundation (CSO).

MAF is an intervention aims to accelerate the millennium development goals. This project is in line with MDGs Target 1 (specifically

with the indicator on the proportion of population below national food poverty line) as well as MKUKUTA II cluster 1, Goal 2:

Reducing income poverty through promoting inclusive, sustainable, and employment enhancing growth and development.

It also builds on one of the Strategic Intervention Areas under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme

(CAADP) highlights the importance of increased production of, amongst others, oil seeds (Pillar III: Increasing food supply, reducing

hunger and improving responses to food emergency crisis.

MAF Project for the case of Bunda District Council aims to accelerate the implementation of MDGs number one on Reducing extreme

poverty and hunger with a great emphasis on agriculture (sunflower and paddy farming), aquaculture (fish farming) and poultry

keeping (chicken keeping).

In view of the experience and lessons learned during the implementation of MAF initiative, the need for further implementation is

vivid; this can partly be done through campaign and sensitization programmes as well as putting up some key infrastructures at local

levels and to raise awareness to the communities.

To this effect; Bunda District Council and TMPIF plans to sensitize and disseminate agriculture information to the Agricultural

extension Officers and Village Community Officers of Bunda District Wards on the importance of MAF programmes on Oil Seed

farming (sunflower), Paddy production, poultry keeping and fish farming; and processing of the products with the view to increase

family income, reduce food insecurity/hunger at family level and promotion of a sustainable land use management. This move is in

line with MKUKUTA II priorities accountability related Policies and Practices to Village and Ward level leaders with least Community

participation to ensure the poor have access to and control over natural resources for lawful productive purposes as well as ensuring

democratic participation in the monitoring of Public resources as it is in the line with MKUKUTA II priorities namely in cluster III.

Furthermore, TMPIF in collaboration with the MAF Project implementation team plans to install modern ICT equipments to all

Agriculture Information Resource centers established in the first phase of the implementation, it is also in a move to establish Bunda

FM Community Radio to easier information flow to the entire community as well as scaling up the fish farming project by further

constructing more fish ponds and awareness raising to local community on fish farming.

Apart from that MAF initiatives aims to scale up Paddy production through Irrigation schemes at Nyatwali,Serengeti, Chingulubira,

Kisorya and Mchigondo,where as to this effect twenty five (25) irrigation pumps (Money Maker irrigation pumps) has been procured

and given as a support to progressive farmers all over Bunda district to enhance better yields even during drought season. MAF

project implementation team aims at procuring one heavy duty paddy hulling machine as MAF initiative scaling up is concerned for

future perspective, which will serve farmers to process their rice and one oil pressing machine to be installed at Bunda township.

Following are some of activities accomplished and machines procured through MAF intervention in Bunda District.

One piece of sunflower oil pressing machine among the three procured with MAF intervention in Bunda District.

Some Irrigation pumps/accessories procured to support progressive farmers on paddy production

Displaying and elaborating MAF activities to the leader of National independence torch rally June, 2013 in Bunda district

A chick incubator procured through MAF interventions in Bunda district

PROJECT PROGRESS.

PROJECT OUTPUTS ANNUAL TARGET ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED (in a quarter/year)

RESULTS/INDICATORS TO MONITOR PROGRESS

OUTCOME LEVEL CHANGE (if any)

Output 1. Establishment of demonstration sites.

50,000 Community members where the demonstration sites are located learn the best farming practice and implement the same for the coming agricultural season

To establish a warehouse for crops after harvest and install sunflower oil pressing machines at Mugeta and Kibara centers.

Hatching machine in operation at Bunda town to promote modern poultry keeping

To support the establishment of modern fish ponds at Nyatwali and Nabayanza island

Support on sunflower and paddy demonstration sites

Support to fish farming and poultry keeping activities.

Provide on-site trainings/capacity building to fish farmers

Provide fish fingerling and medicines to fish farmers

About 50% of the community members are ready to learn and implement what has been learnt in the demonstration sites

100 progressive farmers have been trained on modern farming practices

Almost 150 hectors has been cultivated for sunflower farming on coming rain season

Ten (10) progressive farmers supported with irrigation accessories (water pumps)

Two sunflower oil pressing machines installed at Mugeta and Kibara villages.

Chick incubator/hatching machine in operation at Bunda

Well trained farmers’

Community livelihoods has changed as majority of the people adopt new modern ways of agriculture

Increased number of farmers who regularly visit the Agriculture information resource centres to access agricultural information.

facilitator on poultry keeping

Output 2: Beekeeping

To establish a beekeeping resource information centre by December 2013

To train 2 farmers’

facilitator and use their farms as demonstration sites for beekeeping at Mwiruruma and Balili villages

Capacity building to youth, women and community on beekeeping

Establishment of demonstration sites for beekeeping

Two groups of progressive beekeepers have been trained on beekeeping, they are in operational progress.

The outcome level change has not yet achieved so long as this activity is still in operation.

Output 3: Capacity building to community

To have a well informed farmers community by the end of year 2013

Ward AIRCs to provide

technical advisory in order to promote and disseminate knowledge, innovation, technology and its use.

Regular knowledge sharing, demonstration and capacity development for farmers/farmers’ groups about new agricultural technologies and good practices by extension workers and cooperatives.

Installation of modern ICT equipments to all AIRCs

Procurement of mobile phones to all progressive farmers

Installation of Bulk SMS system

Procurement of projector for community training

Capacity building to personnel and progressive farmers with whom MAF

Modern ICT equipments have been installed in each AIRC.

Mobile phones for progressive farmers have been procured and delivered to farmers

Bulk SMS system have been installed to each computer at the AIRCs

Projector has been procured.

Easier communication channel from farmers to pilot AIRCs to the main center at Bunda

Reduced amount of time for extension officers to travel to fields, rather they are communicating with farmers through mobile phones

Shared information easily accessed through mobile phones. Farmers can listen to FM radios and they can even

works. send photos through MMS to AIRCs if they encounter new crop/poultry disease, to share their farm progress etc.

Output 4: Project Evaluation and sharing of lesson learned from project.

-A schedule of project reviews meetings developed by the project management team in consultation with project implementing partners and stakeholders representatives being done.

-Project Monitoring and Evaluation

-Report writing

-A report briefly summarizes the results achieved, objectives, outcomes, outputs, lessons learned, problems met and areas where result may not have been achieved. Lay out recommendations for any further steps that may be needed.

Project narrative and financial report submitted to donor agency for scrutinization.

CHALLENGES:

MAF implementation face several challenges in its operations, for instance climate change was a great catastrophe to the

project; since several acres of sunflower and paddy were destroyed due to drought. Hence farmers were demoralized others

even got scared to practice such a newly crop (sunflower), but to some extent several farmers succeeded to harvest though not

as it was planned earlier.

Oil pressing machine operations started lately due to political influence factor, there was several conflicts of where the machine

should be placed (constituency factor for the case of Bunda and Mwibara).The baseline survey report indicates one machine

to be installed at Bunda and the other at Mugeta. But contrary to the survey one machine was placed to Kibara (Mwibara

constituency) and Mugeta (Bunda constituency) to suit the political interests and not to disappoint implementers/stakeholders

(community at large) MAF implementing team decided to fulfill these wishes and had ordered another oil pressing machine

from China to be placed at Bunda.

WAY FORWARD:

In general MAF Project initiatives are well sensitized and majority of Bunda community members have started to put into practice

sunflower and paddy production. This is a result of efforts done by the project officers in all 19 villages to be implementing the project.

Sunflower is a newly introduced cash crop to complement cotton whose production costs has increased tremendously, while its price

has declined drastically.

Apart from inadequacy and unavailability of farm inputs mentioned by farmers as the number one factor affecting crop production,

they also raised concern to know whether sunflower is also governed by the crop board as it is with cotton that is governed by the

Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB).The board is concerned by regulating cotton production activities including participation in price setting.

Farmers’ doubts were cleared by the project officials. They were informed that currently there is no any sunflower board, hence price

setting is in the hands of farmers themselves, they were informed on the issues of installation of oil extracting machines in the district.

Furthermore the sunflower seeds are free of charge for farmers willing to participate in sunflower production.

Farmers were convinced with such information and finally became eagerly to participate fully in the project.

The question of time limitation is another point; Implementation of the project conceded with the crop calendar especially paddy

production. It is the time where the crop fields are flooded with water, a condition that favors paddy production in the selected area

for establishment of demonstration sites; seeds have already been sown waiting for transplanting. Through sensitization farmers in their

individual owned plots have been urged to follow recommended agronomic practices for paddy production including spacing, good

quality seeds and soil fertility. Preliminary information gathered shows that farmers have started adopting the recommended practices

and the quality and quantity of the yields harvested this season specify that notion.

With sunflower, some farmers whom had prepared their fields for cotton have decided to change from cotton production to

sunflower after being assured of the availability of sunflower seeds and sunflower seeds oil extracting machine. Hence MAF is

expecting an influx of the farmers’ majority demand for seeds and extension services for the coming agriculture season

Thus, success and sustainability of MAF Project will depend on the community adoption rate which will also rely on the benefit

delivered by participating farmers/progressive farmers.