By Senior Reporter VALENTINE OFORO
The training held at the National Sugar Institute (NSI) from 17th to 22nd Sept 2024 through Farm Clinic Approach
THE Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) has imparted the extension officers in Kilombero District of Morogoro Region with key agronomic practices for the effective production of sugarcane.
Facilitated through Farm Clinic Approach (FCA), the timely agro- clinic attracted at least 15 participants.
Led by five facilitators, four from TARI- Kibaha Centre, and one from KSCL, the six-day training aimed to improve farm productivity and income through empowering extension workers with advanced knowledge and skills in sugarcane management.
Giving an exclusive interview to sematvwebsite, Mr Andrew Kachiwile, a seeds researcher at TARI Kibaha Center informed that the training focused on equipping extension workers in Kilombero with essential skills to scale good sugarcane management practices using a farm clinic approach.
Detailed over the participants of the training, Mr Kachiwile said seven were from the Kilombero Sugar Company Limited (KSCL), eight from the Ifakara Town Council), including four females and eleven males.
“The farm clinic approach was emphasized as a new practical and hands-on dissemination method to be employed to engage farmers in adopting best practices,” he added.
The robust project is funded by the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN) based in the Kilombero Valley Basin, which supports efforts to improve sustainable agricultural practices.
Topics covered during the training, according to Mr Kachiwile included farm clinic concept and methodology, sugarcane varieties, agronomy, pest and disease management, and the business aspects of sugarcane production.
“Through both theoretical sessions and fieldwork, the participants developed practical solutions to common challenges faced by farmers in the area of their jurisdiction,” he detailed
Together with that, he said upon completion of the training, the target was to see the beneficiary extension workers to evolve in implementing farm clinics in their respective localities, meanwhile getting backstopping from researchers from TARI Kibaha, where they will facilitate local farmers’ deployment of improved sugarcane management practices.
“The activity is expected to play a key role in boosting sugarcane productivity and increasing farm income in the Kilombero valley’s catchment area,” he insisted.
He added: “This initiative marks a significant step toward improving sugarcane farming in the area and elsewhere, if the pilot project becomes a success, with the trained extension workers playing a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural productivity and livelihoods in their communities,”
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