The use of AKILIMO has been on the rise in recent months, particularly in cassava farming, where it is helping farmers boost yields, productivity, and income. Recognizing its potential, several projects have integrated AKILIMO into their programs to ensure smallholder farmers benefit and the cassava value chain is strengthened. Among these initiatives are the Muhogo Bora (MB) and KILIMO THABITI projects, led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and Tanzania Youth Espouse for Gender and Development (TYEGD) respectively.
Dr. Kiddo Mtunda, Technical Lead for the Muhogo Bora project, emphasized AKILIMO’s importance within the project, pointing to its success in scaling up from the ACAI project. “In MB, component 3 focuses on continuing to scale up and introduce these tools to farmers and extension officers. Our team is committed to training farmers on good agronomic practices and sharing AKILIMO videos. We’re seeing sustained success through our partnerships, and farmers are excited by the high yields after using AKILIMO technology.”
One such success story comes from Elisha Marco, a cassava farmer in Uvinza, Kigoma, who has been part of the MB project since 2023. After receiving training on AKILIMO’s herbicide recommendations, he saw remarkable improvements in weed management. “I never imagined herbicides could reduce costs and labor so much. It’s helped me increase my income from cassava farming,” Elisha shared a testament to the relief AKILIMO brings to farmers.
MB’s emphasis on establishing demonstration plots and promoting proper fertilizer use has strengthened farmers’ confidence in AKILIMO. Farmers in Manyoni and Kigoma were particularly impressed by the substantial yield improvements after following AKILIMO’s fertilizer recommendations.
Tumaino Moreto, an extension officer in Urambo, Tabora, praised the technology: “We are very pleased with AKILIMO. I used a demonstration plot to train my farmers, and the results were outstanding. The knowledge they have gained has been invaluable, they’ve applied the agronomic and best planting practices they learned effectively, and I’m eager to request further training for more farmers.”