More than 65 percent of Tanzanians are employed in the agriculture sector with an estimated eight million households, mostly rural, involved in agricultural activities. But due to climate change and extensive drought across East Africa, traditional farming methods are no longer working to produce the crop yields that farming families need to survive. 

Smallholder farmer Rajabu Kishosha, 43, a father of five children, struggled to harvest enough to provide for his family’s basic needs. 

In 2018, Rajabu joined a sustainable agriculture training program implemented by World Renew which teaches climate-adaptive farming techniques. These methods aim to grow more drought-resistant crops, rely on less water for irrigation, and improve soil health through cover crops and mulch.  The program focuses on connecting local farmers who have successfully implemented the new farming methods and have achieved steady increases in their crop yields, with farmers still practicing traditional methods. The farmers sharing their success with these new “climate-smart” methods are called Champion Farmers. 

Rajab visited with Champion Farmer, Lucas Duba, who had managed to harvest 15 bags of maize, 100 kilograms (about 220.46 lbs. each), from a one-acre farm. Rajab could only harvest 14 bags of maize from 13 acres of land. After learning about Lucas’ success, Rajab was motivated to implement climate-adaptive methods. 

In 2020, he dedicated a quarter of an acre of land to growing maize practicing these new methods, including using improved seeds, manure, cover crops, and proper spacing. He harvested four bags of maize. He also observed, by applying cover crops, the soil retained more moisture, ensuring the growth of microorganisms and preventing soil erosion. 

In 2021, Rajab expanded the area of land on which he practices conservation agriculture methods to three acres and continued to see a significant increase in his crop yields. He plans to implement climate-adaptive farming methods to even more of his land in the future and says he appreciates the support from World Renew Tanzania.