September 2021: Currently in Rombo, YEP Tanzania is focussing on training entrepreneurs who operate in groups. YEP selected together with Glory Makuru, community development officer in Rombo, 3 groups of young entrepreneurs. After several intake meetings, we selected 2 groups to continue the training with. One group is a group of 45 youth who joined together to farm a piece of land for potatoes. The other group consists of 8 youth who have their own business (saloon, home needs shop) and joined together to invest in a wood processing machine. Both groups received our general entrepreneurship training (record keeping, financial management, marketing, empowerment). For the potato farmers we organized a special training on potato farming, provided by an agricultural expert from the government.
Furthermore, we continue helping individual YEP beneficiaries’ businesses by visiting them on a regular basis (every 4 months) and provide business coaching and monitoring.
Detailed update on the potato farmers.
The potato farmers group has 45 members, all youth. YEP Tanzania helped them from the start by appointing group leaders and group committees, setting project goals and to connect them with the local government. A part from that, we provided special entrepreneurship training (set of tools) on business record keeping, group management, behaviour change, conflict solving, leadership and committee skills, team working etc. Furthermore and also the local government provided potato farming management skills by sending the District Agriculture, Irrigation and Cooperation Officer.
Picture showing the group potato farm located at Rongai village in the slope of mount Kilimanjaro
Topics where:
- Land preparation,
- Introduction to Irish potato,
- Benefit for the human body,
- Soil preparation,
- Weather conditions,
- Seed selection and characteristics,
- How to plant,
- Fertilizer application,
- Disease and pest (insects) attack,
- Timing of harvest,
- Storage (how, when, how long etc),
- Working as a team,
- Marketing (also (dis)advantages on exporting to Kenya)
Picture taken during the meeting the forest officer
Because of the good results shown, the Rombo government promised to give another two plots so that the group can expand the project.