Tanzanian youth increase incomes and interests in farming through training in vegetable production – Shedrick’s story

Farmers have been cultivating crops for years, yet they often lack the necessary techniques to effectively manage pests, diseases, and minimize postharvest losses. Training sessions through farmer groups fill these gaps, and as we see from Shedrick’s story here, this can encourage youth to see vegetable production as a profitable and worthwhile enterprise, also increasing the local supply of nutritious foods.

Shedrick Pendeni preparing his new tomato field

WorldVeg, through the FRESH (Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets) project, develops the capacity of farmers in vegetable production, enhancing their productivity and income. As part of this, it partners with Arumeru district council in northern Tanzania, supporting over 20 producer groups with a total of more than 300 members, including 70 youth. Among them is 18-year-old Shedrick Pendeni, member of the Sanganano village farmer group in Arusha region.

He is among the youth who chose to pursue vegetable farming as a means of earning income. His decision was inspired by witnessing his father’s efforts in financing his education and supporting the family’s expenses. “That’s what he always did, my father, farming” says Shedrick. “He is a good tomato producer and that’s how he met our cost of living. So, it was pretty clear to me from the beginning, that is what I could do to make my own money.” After finishing secondary school, Shedrick joined his father in the family’s vegetable fields, working together to prepare the soil, plant seeds and maintain the crops. Shedrick focused on watering the plants to ensure their health and growth.

“He taught me by working alongside him. While he excels in tomatoes, over the past seven months I’ve also planted beans, cabbage, spinach and nightshade. I’ve been able to earn between thirty to forty thousand shillings (US$15-20) per week during six weeks of harvesting, saving a part of my earnings and using some to buy myself a smartphone.” During this time, Shedrick discovered the Sanganano farmer group, of which his father is a member. This group is among the 20 that WorldVeg supports in Arumeru district. Shedrick came to understand that the skills his father imparted to him were honed through capacity development sessions held within their group. “I saw that he accurately used ridges and maintained consistent spacing between seeds during planting” Shedrick explained. “He applied techniques learned from the training sessions led by experts from WorldVeg and our local extension officer. Their guidance on seed selection also proved invaluable, enabling him to achieve high quality and abundant tomato yields.”

He was persuaded by Judith Assenga, WorldVeg agribusiness expert, to join the group. Reflecting on how it unfolded, Shedrick recalled, “While I was applying fertilizer in our field, Judith visited my father’s group. Observing my work, she encouraged me to join when she found that I was already eighteen, and outlined all the benefits of the offered training. I was initially hesitant, as I didn’t consider myself a farmer, but Judith convinced me that the trainings would complement my current activities, and I decided to join the group,”

Judith Assenga of WorldVeg giving vegetable seed kits to members of the Sanganano group, and training Shedrick and others on soil health

Describing practical field training, Violet Kileo, Ministry of Agriculture extension officer for Nkoanenkoli ward, explains. “The sessions span the entire crop lifecycle, from field preparation and seed planting to plant health management and harvesting. WorldVeg conducts regular monitoring visits at each stage of vegetable production, and they also facilitating connections between farmers and seed companies.” The extension officer then returns to visit the farmers after the training to reinforce the adoption of good agricultural practices learning, and farmers like Shedrick and other group members gained valuable insights into vegetable production through these visits.

Extension officer Violet Kileo guides Shedrick on identifying plant health indicators in vegetable leaves

Shedrick was also invited to training sessions at the WorldVeg regional center in Arusha, where was introduced too, delved deeper, into advanced techniques for vegetable production. “I saw for the time so much new equipment, like a chameleon sensor which measures soil moisture content, and the wetting front detector for detect water and fertilizer loss. This helped my understanding of efficient water and fertilizer management, which I am now committed to applying in my vegetable production.”

Here we hear yet another success story – of the power of capacity building – and the power of vegetables. A young man who may have been tempted to move to the city for work, now stays with his family and earns a living from the land – and produces more nutritious foods for family, community and local consumers. The right training means he also sees the need for sustainable management, and now knows how to achieve it. This is the story of just one young man, amongst many thousands that WorldVeg are training across the world at this moment, and the hundreds of thousands who have been trained in the past. Quantifying all the multiple benefits is no easy task, however, but just hearing the stories, the impacts are clear…

This reports work undertaken as part of the FRESH (Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets) project, a One CGIAR initiative jointly implemented by WorldVeg and One CGIAR centers, including IFPRI and CIMMYT. https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/fruit-and-vegetables-for-sustainable-healthy-diets-fresh/