Background Information
Due to population growth, agricultural practices have seen a global increase in the use of inorganic fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation. This has had negative impacts on soils, biodiversity, and public health. Significant pesticide exposure estimates, affecting millions annually, highlight the urgent need for change.
Global initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlight the need for transformative institutional arrangements to ensure food and livelihood security, especially in Africa. The Addis Ababa Declaration emphasises strategies to tackle degraded soils in Africa, which threaten food production.
Smallholder farmers in developing nations face multiple challenges, especially those in Africa. These include misinvestment and lack of access to resources, which compromise food security and the nutritional well-being of the population.
In Tanzania, agriculture plays a vital role in economic performance and employment, particularly for rural populations. Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) is increasingly regarded as a solution for transforming agriculture and achieving sustainable development goals.
However, the agricultural sector, which is primarily smallholder-driven, has not sufficiently adopted EOA practices and technologies. Despite smallholders’ significant contributions to food production, knowledge of and application of ecological organic agriculture practices remain limited. Unsustainable practices and climate change exacerbate resource degradation, adversely affecting livelihoods.
Tanzania’s government has introduced several policies, including the National Ecological Organic Agriculture Strategy (NEOAS), which supports agroecology; however, their implementation has been ineffective due to technical and non-technical factors...
Why Attend the Fourth NEOAC?
The proposed Fourth NEOAC intends to bring together stakeholders who support organic and agroecological food production systems. The conference will also capitalise on other initiatives at local and global levels expected to happen before the end of 2025.
The conference will offer an excellent platform for exchanging knowledge, practices, technologies, and policy frameworks among stakeholders, including farmers, to improve the potential for accelerating and scaling up the adoption of agroecology and organic agriculture production systems in the country.
Visit to Bihawana Farmers Training Centre (BFTC)
In addition, there will be a planned visit to “The Bihawana Farmers Training Centre” (BFTC), located in Dodoma, built between 1972 and 1973 with China's support. It spans 42.5 hectares and includes infrastructure, agricultural demonstrations, and a borehole.
The BFTC was established to provide extension services to farmers on drought-tolerant crops, animal-drawn implements, and seed production. Since its inception, the coordination and use of the BFTC have been dynamic.
In 2019, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), permitted civil society organisations (CSOs) to develop the BFTC as a Centre of Excellence for Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA), which was a push factor for the CSOs to jointly plan for the BFTC development through coordination through their umbrella organisation, TOAM.
