Sustainable food systems practices: Slow Food Tanzania gave way to learn

01 Jul 2023

The first week of August is all about agriculture in Tanzania. From August 1st to 8th, August agricultural fairs are organized all over the country, culminating in the national holiday Nanenane (Eight Eight) on August 8th. These are national wide events celebrated to recognize farmers’ contribution to the Tanzania economy and food system. They provide an opportunity for Farmers and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge and business. This year Slow Food Tanzania network had a stand at Nanenane grounds at Themi Slow Food Garden. Among other things, Slow Food demonstrated ecological farming practices at the garden, disseminated Slow Food philosophy and shared farm-based experiences, cooking, and sharing traditional foods with the people visitingg the pavilions. More than 500 people had visited and learned from Slow Food pavilions this included students (Schools), NGOs, research institutions and other interested individuals. Slow Food network also facilitated a learning visit to 25 farmers from Kilimanjaro and Arusha region to the pavilions.

Slow Food Tanzania intended to use these events to showcase ecological farming and sustainable food systems practices. This include raising awareness of Slow Food Garden project and other projects such as ark of taste, presidia and earth market to the public.

The aim was to facilitate farmers’ participation to this important national event to enhance their opportunity to explore themselves into new business innovations, technologies and improved crop and animal husbandry practices, natural resources management and cross-cutting issues such as climate change and gender and agriculture.

Slow Food Tanzania through garden, earth market, and presidia projects have built capacity of farmers and institutions(schools) in selected interventions including; ecological gardening, fruit production, beekeeping, small livestock husbandry and crop diversification with focus on farming of drought tolerant crops as a resilience mechanism.

Slow Food Tanzania intended to bring some of these trained farmers to the pavilions for them to learn that, there are limitless options to enhance and diversify their livelihoods activities. This is because Nanenane agriculture shows usually bring together multidisciplinary stakeholders in agricultural sector including farmers, research institutions, business service providers, and other sectoral development partners.

This assortment of multi-stakeholder involvement provides a room for farmers to develop new skills to fasten technology adoption. Another group include students, farmers, NGOs and other individuals who have not heard of Slow Food to visit the SFTN stand and demo garden to learn on Slow Food philosophy and on-going activities so that they can opt to be part of the network.

Through learning visit participated farmers were exposed and learned from a diverse stakeholder (Government Research Institutions, Training Agencies, Farmers associations) and in total, about 500 people including students, NGOs and other individuals visited SFTN stand and demo garden and they were oriented on different interventions that SFTN is undertaking.