IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IMPERATIVE
Tanzania endeavours to build an industrial-based economy by 2025. A strong industrial-driven economy requires a strong agricultural base – one that is climate smart and pro-environment.
A new report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which was released earlier this week, outlines five major hurdles holding back the growth of agriculture in Tanzania. They are limited access to extension services; inadequate investment in irrigation infrastructure; low use of fertilisers; shortage of improved seeds, and lack of mechanisation.
Despite employing directly and indirectly at least 69 percent of Tanzania’s workforce, unacceptably low productivity in agriculture is a problem that has refused to go away.
For farming in Tanzania to grow appreciably, and provide a sustainable platform on which to launch a strong industrial-driven economy, it is crucial that stakeholders address all the limitations identified in the report.
Adequate investment in irrigation should transform agriculture from being rain-fed to one that is more controlled and capable of bringing positive results throughout the year.
Farmers need the support of well-trained extension officers so that they can optimally use available land by cultivating the right crops while observing all the best agricultural practices.
Year in, year out, fertiliser shortages continue to bite. This needs to change. One way is to promote organic farming, which ensures that the materials used for crop nutrition come from nature.
Tanzania has invested quite extensively in agricultural research institutions. These need to review their performance so that they contribute more tangibly to efforts to improve productivity, particularly in coming up with seeds for new crop varieties.
The hoe is patently old-fashioned. We live in the age of mechanised agriculture. The country must embrace this if it hopes to enhance agricultural productivity.
All the above need funding, which means that Tanzania must secure adequate funds to stimulate agricultural growth.
The right balance of population over land must also be maintained. Farmers should be provided with agro-education and training to improve their understanding of the best agricultural practices.
MAKE SCHOOL BEACH TRIPS SAFER
There is a need for stricter guidelines for schools wishing to take their students on leisure trips to beaches in Dar es Salaam and elsewhere. It is worth noting that there have been instances in the past where schoolchildren have downed in Dar es Salaam while swimming during school outings.
This is a result of schoolchildren being taken to beaches and left to do as they wish with little or no supervision by their teachers. Not all children know how to swim, but most of them find the sea alluring and irresistible and decide to take a dip, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
It is time to put an end to this needless loss of life caused by sheer negligence on the part of school administrations. Schools wishing to organise outings to beaches should be compelled to hire qualified lifesavers as a precaution.
Care should be taken in allowing schoolchildren to swim or otherwise bathe, with small groups of four or five individuals taking turns to do so. Allowing dozens of children to rush into the water at the same time with no supervision whatsoever is a recipe for disaster.
