Kilimo Trust celebrates 20 years of transforming agriculture in East Africa

Kilimo Trust, a leading regional organ­isation driving market-led agricultural transformation, is marking its 20^th anni­versary this year.

In Tanzania, the celebra­tions were held in Zanzibar at a colourful gala dinner that brought together gov­ernment officials, development partners, private-sector leaders, and farmer repre­sentatives.

Established in 2005, the organisation operates across East Africa, where it has reached over 791,000 farmers, supported 1,735 SMEs, and facilitated trade in more than 664,000 metric tons of food staples valued at over $193 million.

Kilimo Trust started operating in Tan­zania in 2014, and its interventions have reached more than 244,000 smallholder farmers, strengthened market systems, and expanded opportunities for agribusi­nesses across value chains such as rice, potatoes, sunflowers, and beans.

In an exclusive interview with the Citi­zen Reporter, Mr Elias Muhikambele, the Officer-in-Charge of Kilimo Trust Tan­zania, reflects on the organisation’s jour­ney and impact in Tanzania. Here’s the excerpts…..

Question: In which areas have Kilimo Trust’s interventions been most significant in Tanzania, and what tangible impact have these interventions had on farmers and businesses?

Answer: Over the years, our work has spanned several critical value chains, including rice, maize, beans, potatoes, and fish, each with unique challenges and opportunities.

Through the Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) project, we introduced new marketing and financing systems that helped rice farmers access sustainable markets collectively.

SIKIA, our digital innovation project, was timely and transformative—bring­ing information directly to farmers at a moment when digital solutions were becoming essential.

Across all these value chains, we have reached more than 244,000 smallholder farmers leveraging investments of over $7 million from public and private partners, aggregating and selling over 425,307 MT of food staples through structured trade.

We have also helped establish 30 operation­al business consortia, developed six value chain analyses, and published three policy briefs.

Other significant achievements include improving rice yields, rising from below 2 Metric tons/ha to above 4 MT/ha; the establishment of a structured market sys­tem for various value chains, sustainable market linkages in many sectors, including horticulture and increased income specifi­cally for smallholder farmers.

Beyond the projects and the numbers, I’m happy to see the impact our work is having on smallholder farmers who have moved from subsistence to structured markets and the women and youth who now see agriculture as a viable opportunity.

Question: Kilimo Trust emphasises systemic change rather than one-off interven­tions. Can you give us a concrete example from Tanzania?

Answer: The consortium approach has really transformed the way farmers participate in markets. In the past, farmers used to sell their produce individually to buyers through middlemen, but after Kilimo Trust introduced a consortium approach and the use of Village-Based Agents, thousands of farmers now sell their produce collectively directly to well-known and identified buy­ers under the structured market system.

Rice farmers in the Southern Highlands, for instance, now sell their produce collec­tively to Raphel Group Limited, while sor­ghum farmers in Shinyanga sell their pro­duce collectively to Musoma Foods, and youth groups in Arusha sell their tomatoes collectively to Dash Industry.

These systems continue independently, demonstrating that market systems can change behaviour, build trust, and create long-term sustainability.

Question: In your view, how essential have part­nerships been in driving your success in Tanzania?”

Answer: Strong partnerships have been a defining feature of Kilimo Trust’s work. Through close collaboration with farmer organisations, private sector buyers, finan­cial institutions, and local governments, we have built more efficient, reliable, and inclusive agricultural markets and intro­duced crop varieties that meet market demand, improve productivity, and ensure the sustainability of interventions beyond individual projects.

Overall, these partner­ships have created a more coordinated and sustainable market system that continues to benefit farmers across Tanzania.