Soybean training days at Tanzania demo plots
21 April: SILT partner David Kijazi, from the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, writes:
The team at the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership has organized a new round of farmers’ field days at the soybean demonstration sites in Southern Tanzania.
We will be carrying out 8 training days at the end of April/ beginning of May. Last year we attracted 1,133 people at the 15 field days. The events were popular and there is evidence from our return visits that some of the technologies are being adapted by people as a result of the demonstrations.
Attendees at the common bean farmers’ field day in 2016
Each demo plot is around an acre we have contracted local farmers and farmer groups supported by the extension service to ensure that good agronomic practices are followed in line with the technical brief. The extension service in each locality also help us to select a suitable location for the demonstration plot and provide organizational and logistical support for the farmer training days.
Ruvuma Region
24 April Namtumbo District
25 April Madaba District
Njombe Region
26 April Makambako Town
27 April Makete District
Mbeya Region
28 April Mbeya rural district,
29 April Chunya district
Iringa Region
01 May Iringa Rural District
02 May Kilolo District
We are building on a successful model of training delivery from last year with our common bean training days. One change that we are making is to introduce a more systematic approach to collecting basic demographic data from the people that attend the training days including mobile phone contact details so that they can be followed up in a systematic way.
Linked articles:
SILT demo plots help close the yield gap (26 February 2016 blog)
Scaling-up soybean: “Mother and baby” demos (7 April 2017)