SNAP PI urges government policies on agroecology

The closing ceremony of Singida Nutrition and Agroecology Project (SNAP) was held in Singida last week. During the ceremony Rachel Kerr, the project’s principle investigator said that agroecological farming needs policy backing so that it can be implemented by farmers effectively. Professor Kerr pointed out that agroecological farming is good for smallholder farmers because it improves soil fertility, conserve environment, protects water sources while encouraging use of indigenous seeds.

With SNAP, smallholder farmers were trained by experts from ActionAid Tanzania, Cornell University, Nelson Mandela University and Ilonga Agricultural Research Institute with funding from US-based McKnight Foundation. SNAP was a three year grant which started in 2016 in Singida region and involved 20 villages and more that 1,200 households. The project aimed to promote agroecology farming and gender equality among farming communities but also assure farmers of food security.

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