Young farmers in northern Tanzania are creating new opportunities through vegetables
– 28 April 2026 –
Across northern Tanzania, young farmers are transforming small vegetable plots into thriving market gardens, thanks to support from the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) project. Implemented by the World Vegetable Center with support from AGRA, the project is testing and scaling the Grow Green Model, a practical approach designed to help youth build profitable, climate-resilient vegetable enterprises.
Introduced to farmers in October 2025, the initiative is already showing promising results. Within just five months, farmers are beginning to see clear improvements in production, costs of farming, and opportunities for youth employment.
Before receiving this support, many farmers relied heavily on rainfall and manual watering to grow vegetables such as carrots, peas, leafy vegetables, eggplant, and cabbage (depending on their location), but production remained small-scale and was based on traditional farming practices. During dry periods, production would drop significantly, and their incomes from vegetables was unreliable.
Through WorldVeg, more than 400 farmers received training on improved vegetable production, reducing post-harvest losses, implementing climate-smart practices, and agribusiness management. They also gained access to solar-powered irrigation and drip irrigation technologies, which allow them to water their crops efficiently and produce vegetables even during dry periods. Farmers will be linked to suppliers later on after ongoing trainings have been completed.
For Elimeleck Munuo, a vegetable farmer from Kilimanjaro Region, the introduction of efficient irrigation has made vegetable farming more reliable and productive. Previously, production was limited by rainfall and inconsistent watering.
Vegetable farmer Elimeleck Munuo, from Kilimanjaro Region, checks his irrigation system. Pic by Neema Kilamile.
“Before we depended on rain and manual watering, and production was low,” he explains. “Now I can produce even during the dry season, he said. “This irrigation system has completely changed the way I farm.”
Improved production is helping farmers strengthen their skills and deepen their understanding of sustainable vegetable cultivation. It is also supporting knowledge sharing among youth farmers in the region, encouraging peer learning and collaboration.
For Eliud Daniel from Mto wa Mbu in Monduli District, the impact goes beyond his own farm. After learning about solar water pumps, climate-smart irrigation, and improved vegetable production techniques through the AGRA-supported Grow Green Market Gardens project, he has started sharing his skills and knowledge with other young people interested in farming.
“Through this initiative I am now supporting and mentoring a group of ten people aged between 18 and 35 who have started farming,” he says. “I visit their farms, guide them and follow up on their progress so they can succeed in vegetable production.”
The changes are also making farming more efficient and affordable. Farmers report that improved irrigation is helping them reduce costs while increasing yields.
For Rajay Maulid from Manyara Region, the biggest change has been the reduction in production costs.
Rajay Maulid at his farm in Manyara Region. Pic by Neema Kilamile.
“Farming has become easier for me now and I no longer spend as much money as before,” he explains. “Previously, my production costs for growing leafy vegetables were about 380,000 Tanzanian shillings (approx. USD 146) on a quarter-acre plot. However, with the new drip irrigation system, I have spent only 70,000 shillings (USD 27) up to the vegetative stage of my tomatoes on the same plot. I expect the total cost to remain significantly lower until harvest. The support provided [the drip irrigation system] and knowledge we received have really reduced my farming expenses.”
Although the initiative has been in place for only five months, the results are encouraging. Farmers are even creating opportunities for other youth to enter agriculture. The experiences of Elimeleck, Eliud, and Rajay demonstrate how practical training, climate-smart irrigation, and youth-focused agribusiness support can quickly begin transforming smallholder horticulture.
As the YEFFA Project continues to test and refine the Grow Green Model, these early successes show strong potential for scaling youth-led market gardens across East Africa creating jobs, improving nutrition, and building climate resilience.
