Agriculture is extremely significant to rural communities in Tanzania. About 80% of Tanzanians are dependent on the land for their livelihood. In the Mwanza region the main economic activities are agriculture and fishing, with the former being the larger by far. Furthermore, the region has a history of being unable to feed itself due to the unfavourable weather (low rainfall), adverse soil conditions and scarcity of land. Thus, these factors, coupled with poor agricultural practices leading to poor harvests and widespread deforestation, show the importance of helping the rural population improve their agricultural practices.
In the Conservation Agriculture project, village farmers in the Mwanza region in Tanzania are learning new techniques to cultivate and to use what they have available to care for their land in a sustainable way. They are learning how to enrich the soil with organic compost and how to cover the soil with mulch to retain more of the soil’s moisture. They are also appreciating the importance of attuning their lives to God, who alone blesses the land and causes their crops to grow. Our prayer is that these farmers living in an area with a shortage of food will see the transforming power of God through agriculture.
