A pathway to inclusive sustainable intensification in agriculture? Assessing evidence on the application of agroecology in Tanzania

ABSTRACT

Neo-Malthusian narratives argue that the world urgently needs to produce more food for an expanding global population in the face of climate change, and that food security can only be assured through high input and large-scale agricultural production. This paper explores agroecology as an alternative approach to this narrative. Can a second “Green Revolution” be more “climate smart” and inclusive than the first one, through driving a process of genuinely sustainable intensification? Using a livelihoods framework, we assess evidence on the adoption of agroecological practices in the Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania, through a meta-analysis of four empirical studies, and conclude that the supported adoption of agroecological practice in conjunction with suitable market access has considerable potential for creating inclusive sustainable agricultural livelihoods.

KEYWORDS:

• Tanzania
• sustainable intensification
• agriculture
• agroecology

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their guidance on improving this paper. We would also like to thank all the farmers around Morogoro who participated and shared their time and views.

Notes

¹ Personal observation at The Mastercard Summit Youth Africa Works – Marriott Hotel, Kigali 16th–17th February 2017.

² Declaration of Nyeleni at https://nyeleni.org/spip.php?article290.

³ There are many similarities with Conservation Agriculture – the two approaches are closely related. We focus on agroecology in relation to it as an approach for transformation for the small farmer.

⁴ In this paper, we refer to “organic” agriculture when production is certified as such. We do not use “organic” to mean the nonuse of inorganic inputs.

⁵ Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT) has worked for more than 5 years with farmer groups in the Uluguru Mountains, in total 386 small-scale farmers. The first group to be trained, and later the first to be certified under the “Participatory Guarantee System,” was the Maendeleo (Swahili for “progress”) group from Ruvuma village. The remaining groups are currently striving for this certification. In total, there are 14 farmer groups in 12 villages (Kimimcho (Choma), Maendeleo (Ruvuma), Mazingira (Mlali), Mshikamano (Mfumbwe), Mwanzo Ngumu (Bigwa), Nguvu Kazi (Tulo), Tughetse (Langali), Twikinde (Diovuna Kenge), Twiyavile (Mgambazi), Umoja Group (Mahembe), Upatacho (Langali), Lamka (Kinole), Kaloleni (Kinole), Twaweza (Mundu)) SAT also provides these farmers with market access for their organic produce. In April 2012, SAT opened the first organic food store in Morogoro (“SAT Organic Shop”), illustrating a new way of developing a local organic market. The farmers who produce for the Organic Shop do so under the East African Organic Product Standard and have previously undergone training with SAT.

⁶ Personal comment – Alex Wostry.