To have a vibrant Commercialized and Diversified Agriculture sector that offers opportunities to its stakeholders, improved social, ecological and economic living conditions, and contributes to food security and poverty reduction in Tanzania

To support determined actors in the agriculture sector to commercialize and diversify agriculture and to strengthen their member organizations in view of improving food security, reducing poverty, and improving livelihood.

1: Forming and strengthening farmer organizations. Strengthening farmer organizations or groups refers to organizing, re-organizing and transforming farmer groups into functional farmer organizations ready for agro-enterprises. A farmer organization ready for agro-enterprises refers to an organization that has basic capabilities and procedures for internal democratic management, which are shared vision, common objectives, mutual trust and responsibilities, conflict resolutions, and sustain learning. Strong farmers’ organizations can provide opportunities to farmers to effectively play a role in the market economy and benefit from it. Of greater importance is enhancing their capabilities so that they can firmly deliver demand driven, income-enhancing services to their members. Areas of focus include but not limited to developing managerial, organisational and entrepreneurial capacities to meet the needs of their members. This includes enhancing the technical capacity by linking them with service providers that focus on addressing emergent gaps that hinders them from effectively meeting member’s needs.
2: Strengthening inputs systems (access to improved seeds and fertilizers). Limited access to agricultural inputs (improved seeds, fertilizers) is among reasons for low agricultural productivity in Tanzania. The limited access to inputs (improved seeds and fertilizers) is largely associated with weak and fragmented inputs supply systems. Objective of this strategy is therefore to transform the current fragmented inputs distribution system into an efficient, commercially viable input supply infrastructure, thus enabling smallholder farmers’ greater access to productivity enhancing inputs and technologies. RUCODIA does so through recruiting and strengthening agro-dealers, input wholesalers and agro-dealer networks, and facilitates and strengthens linkages with seed companies, Agricultural Research Institutes (ARIs) and fertilizer companies. Where appropriate, RUCODIA forms and facilitates farmer organizations and other stakeholders to produce Quality Declared Seeds (QDS) to meet specific local seed demands. In so doing, farmers’ capacity in accessing agricultural inputs (improved seeds and fertilizers), implements and advisory services are enhanced .The strategy also enables agro-dealers to operate small businesses that reach poor farmers in remote areas, and is able to reduce the average distance farmers travel to purchase farm supplies.
3: Facilitating Market linkage and postharvest management. Farmers are paid very low prices for their produce on local markets; as a result, the farmers lack incentives for expanding agricultural production. Even when the market is known, most smallholder farmers fail to effectively engage with the markets because they fail to meet quality, quantity and consistency requirements. Postharvest loss is another setback in the agriculture sector in Tanzania. Poor postharvest handling practices and subsequent losses reduce the marketable quantity and quality. Poor storage facilities and postharvest management technologies are among key factors. This strategy therefore seeks to provide farmers with basic marketing and enterprise skills and capabilities to carry out an appraisal and to identify and prioritize promising market opportunities and to engage in collaborative post-harvest management. This involves connecting producers to structured markets through facilitating business arrangements between small-scale producers, aggregators, agro-based SMEs, agro-dealers and processing industry. This arrangement ensures, among others reliable and timely access to quality inputs, sufficient quality, quantity and reliability of supply for processors. Further, RUCODIA engages in building capacity of stakeholders, including smallholder farmers to take part in contract farming and Warehouse receipt systems.
4: Enhancing good agronomic and soil fertility management practices. Most smallholder farmers in Tanzania are constraint by low agricultural productivity due to limited knowledge on good agricultural and soil fertility management practices and limited access to extension services. This strategy is achieved through improving smallholder farmers’ access to improved seeds and fertilizer, provision of extension services, TOTs training in GAP and demonstration fields. Models to demonstrate and promote improved varieties are developed by Agriculture Research Institutes together with agro-dealers and seed companies. The set of interventions includes soil fertility management practices that integrate the use of organic inputs.
5: Agro-enterprise development. Agro-enterprise development seeks to provide farmers, off-takers (buyers), agro-dealers, agro-dealers networks, processors, and other agro-based SMEs with basic enterprise skills and capabilities to start up or carry out agro-based business and to access financial services through capacity building in business and financial management skills, linkage and negotiations with financial support services, establishment and management of saving and credit scheme, preparation of bankable business plans, and assistance in business development and management.
6: Policy dialogue engagement RUCODIA intervention in Policy dialogue refers to tactics, strategies and initiatives which target change or improvement in policies and legislations which have bearing on the livelihood and wellbeing of smallholder farmers.