Tanzania to open agriculture colleges in major universities to groom experts

The government of Tanzania has announced plans to open agriculture colleges in some of the country’s major universities to train experts in the field. Omary Kipanga, the deputy minister of Education, Science and Technology, told the parliament that the colleges will specifically be tailored to provide agricultural courses.

“The agricultural colleges will produce enough experts to serve in the sector, including supporting farmers to boost yields and income,” he told the House in the capital of Dodoma.

HEET project

Kipanga said the agricultural colleges will be established through the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project financed by the World Bank. HEET project is aimed to help strengthen the capacity and quality of the selected universities and institutes to prepare faculty, researchers and graduates, and build a strong and flexible, high-skilled workforce that can address Tanzania’s development challenges.

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of the economy, providing 31% to GDP and contributing 24.9% of annual export earnings, in particular through the main export crops cashew, tobacco, sugar, coffee and cotton.

Tanzania records a continuous agricultural sector growth and is considered largely self-sufficient in its main staple crop maize. Cassava, paddy, sorghum and bananas are the second most widely grown staple crops by farmers. 68% of Tanzania’s work force engage in farming, both in rural and urban areas. However, 83% of all holdings are run by small family farmers who dominate the agricultural sector by contributing around 75% of the total agricultural output. Livestock and poultry play an important role in the economy of a Tanzanian small family farm; the second source of income.