Improved vegetable cultivation in Tanzania good for farmer and consumer

Good and affordable vegetables for the African population throughout the year and a higher income for growers. This is what Applied Plant Research (PPO) tries to achieve with research and specific cultivation guidelines for farmers in Tanzania.

Demand for vegetables in Africa is growing with the increasing population. Another fact is that an increasing number of people are living in cities. This makes that more and more people in the cities depend for their vegetables on the delivery of vegetables to the cities.

vegetable production

This increasing demand is a positive development for the growers because for them vegetable cultivation is an important source of income. And the traditional merchants and – upcoming - supermarkets wish to meet the increasing demand. Especially the upcoming supermarkets are demanding farmers to supply vegetables of a constant quality throughout the year.

Meeting supermarket demands

Growers find it difficult to meet the demands of the supermarkets. Their cultivation methods result in vegetables of variable quality. Another fact is that they cannot supply throughout the year because they are usually not working according to plan but, e.g., depend on the rainy season.

Researchers of PPO are helping farmers to improve their cultivation methods. This already starts with the raising of planting stock. Farmers are sowing vegetables on small plots of land and then transplant the seedlings to the open field. Problem is that conditions on the small plot are often not optimal which results in poor and irregular emergence. And the seedlings that do emerge show a wide variation in size and quality. And this means poor establishment of the seedlings after transplanting to the field and the crop not making a very good start.

Planning harvest

The researchers are developing planting schedules and techniques that enable farmers to better predict the period at which the vegetables will be ready for harvest. And the researchers are also developing methods that give the farmers more grip on the process of raising and transplanting.

And the scientists are also investigating which cultivation methods are best and what these are costing. In doing so they cooperate closely with local farmers. When the research has proven to be successful the scientists wish to transfer the method to other parts of Tanzania.