Regional Markets

3 Cases
holder farmers are gathered in another group. The members are placed in separate
groups for practical reasons: the two stakeholder groups have different strategic goals
and smallholder farmers are more comfortable presenting issues in Swahili. TAHA has
an annual target of increasing membership by 25%. The secretariat is charged with the
task of meeting this target by visiting new areas and going to the local agricultural
shows to promote the benefits of TAHA support to potential members.
Similar organisations
Currently, there are several organisations that have similar goals and activities as
TAHA. One example is the Agricultural Council of Tanzania, which has 500 members
and works across the entire country. Its main activities include lobbying and advocacy
as well as the provision of technical support to farmers associations. Another one is the
Tanzania Smallholder Farmers Network, which primarily provides technical support
to its 100,000 smallholder members, and has a mixed membership of both food and
non-food farmers. Tanganyika Farmers Association, with 32,000 members, works primarily
on the mainland with non-food farmers (e.g., coffee, tea, sisal and cotton). There
are two strong business associations in the country, namely the Tanzania Chamber
of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) and the Zanzibar Chamber of
Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ZCCIA). The chambers’ specific activities
include lobbying and advocacy as well as the provision of market information and technical
support on business development. ZCCIA also focuses on promoting agriculture
in Zanzibar, one of the major producers of spices in the world. Many of TAHA’s members
are also members of these associations.
Supporting smallholders
Lobbying and advocacy
TAHA promotes open dialogue in the horticultural sector at large by initiating successful
discussions with the government and other relevant stakeholders on various topics
vital for the development of the sector, such as policy reform and operational challenges
in supporting horticulture.
Technical support
This assistance is given to smallholder farmers in the form of trainings and demonstration
plots. The trainings focus on safe use and handling of pesticides, good agricultural
practices, post-harvest handling and financial/business management. The association
has its own technical department with extension officers who provide services to farmers.
TAHA’s strength lies in its ability to use different partners (e.g. local government extension
workers) to reach farmers in the rural areas. As part of its technical supporting
services, TAHA established a logistics company (TAHA Fresh Handling Ltd.), which
is a commercial venture with a separate board and management. The company provides
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