The promotion of a sustainable and profitable organic agricultural sector in Tanzania is gaining momentum, following a significant market initiative designed to strengthen the value chain and empower small-scale farmers and traders. Sustainable Agricultural Tanzania (SAT), in partnership with the non-governmental organisation I Am Organic and backed by funding from Bio-Vision and the Swiss International Agency, recently convened a successful one-day open market, known as the Swahili Festival Market, in Dar es Salaam. This initiative forms a crucial part of a four-year, 1.2 billion/- project aimed at expanding market access for organic products both domestically and internationally while educating the public on environmentally sound farming practices.
The core goal of this multi-phased project is the economic empowerment of mid-level and small-scale traders across seven regions, including Morogoro, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Kagera. SAT Chief Executive Officer, Janeth Maro, highlighted at the market launch that the platform is vital for enhancing participants’ understanding of the organic market’s value and for creating tangible opportunities for farmers to sell their produce. Crucially, the initiative emphasizes a shift from conventional, chemical-reliant methods to organic farming, which utilizes natural techniques to preserve soil fertility, water quality, and biodiversity, thereby reducing health risks for consumers and promoting ecological sustainability.
The current third phase of SAT’s project is sharply focused on value addition within the organic sector. This involves dedicated efforts to enhance the quality of production, packaging, and processing, alongside the establishment of small-scale industries to convert raw organic produce—such as coffee, cotton, and vegetables—into processed goods. This strategic move to process products domestically is key to enhancing Tanzania’s economic resilience and is creating vital employment opportunities in rural areas. By connecting producers and traders directly with potential buyers, the project seeks to ensure that a larger share of the profits from the organic trade benefits Tanzanians, rather than being exported to foreign stakeholders.
The open market served as a critical forum for approximately 50 trained entrepreneurs and traders to gain practical insights into scaling up production, improving packaging standards, and maintaining quality required for both local and international markets. Farida Faith Nassoro of I Am Organic underscored that the event was not merely a trade fair but a public health intervention, noting that chemical-free organic farming can mitigate diseases linked to pesticide and fertiliser exposure. She stressed that by addressing challenges like limited market access and insufficient knowledge on organic certification, the project is helping to cement organic agriculture as a sustainable and economically viable sector capable of meeting growing demand for high-quality, safe food.
Ultimately, the collaborative efforts by SAT and its partners are focused on building a robust, self-sustaining organic agriculture ecosystem that ensures marginalized groups, particularly youth and women, have equitable access to training, markets, and business opportunities. The model, demonstrated by the Dar es Salaam open market, proves that environmental stewardship, economic empowerment, and public health are mutually achievable through strategic investment in the organic value chain. With continued support from institutional bodies and private investors, the organic sector in Tanzania is poised for competitive growth, ensuring chemical-free farming delivers long-term benefits to communities and strengthens rural economies.
