Nearly three years after two universities have agreed to be working together in research and development, one in China and one in Tanzania, the outcomes are clearly apparent in the agreement, governing officials say.
The Memorandum of Understanding, focused on supporting poverty reduction and rural farm development in Tanzania, was signed in march 2018 between the University of China in Beijing and University of Morogoro University of Sokoine in Beijing Agriculture.
Overseeing the project, the Morogoro Regional Secretariat, said maize productivity had increased by 50 percent, from an average of 2 tons per hectare to 3 tons per hectare.
As the project is on course to hit 2,000 demonstration farmers, each with at least 0.4 hectares of maize field, by the end of this year, this has improved food security and revenue generation.
An online ceremony to honouhr the hard work of the top 10 agricultural extension workers on the maize labour intensification project was conducted on January 13.
Speaking at the event, regional administrative secretary, Emmanuel Kalobele, Morogoro’s , said that as a result of more frequent field visits, cooperation between the two universities had increased interaction between farmers and extension officers in his region.
Some of our village agricultural and extension officers had the privilege of having a study tour in China and learning more about agricultural production, as well as a number of Chinese agricultural university students and officials visiting the Morogoro area to assess our growth, Kalobele said.
During the ceremony, Wang Ke, China’s ambassador to Tanzania, said that such cooperation had led to an increase in Chinese investment in Tanzanian agriculture and the export of more Tanzanian products to China.
As an agricultural center in Tanzania, Morogoro has played an important role in the cooperation between China and Tanzania in agriculture, Wang said, “The region hosts a Chinese sisal farm, where sisal fiber is processed and exported to China. The Chinese Agricultural Technical Demonstration Center in Morogoro was also instrumental in bringing advanced Chinese agricultural techniques to the people of Tanzania.”
Wang expressed her hope that the project would serve as a collaborative model for increasing grain production in Tanzania and ensuring food safety.
Speaking from China, Du Taisheng, China Agricultural University Vice-President, said the award ceremony was proof of Tanzania and China’s significant and meaningful people-oriented collaboration.
“China and Tanzania have successfully initiated joint maize project, and China’s cooperation and Tanzania have been fruitful. We are pleased that project farmers have benefited from their maize production’s rising yield. The agricultural extension employees have played an important role in promoting maize planting technology under the leadership of the local government.”Kalobele said.
