Tufanye nini ili nchi yetu iondokane na kilimo cha kimaskini na kilimo kiwe ajira?

Tanzania ni nchi inayofaa sana kwa kilimo tuna ardhi nzuri na kubwa sana, pia tuna maji mengi sana. Ni moja ya nchi zenye maji mengi duniani lakini ajabu yetu kilimo chetu ni cha kimaskini kupita maelezo. Wakulima ni maskini wa kutia aibu.
Kwa ardhi tuliyonayo kilimo kinaweza kuwa kimbilio la ajira kwa vijana.

Naombeni tuwe na mjadala mpana wa ni namna gani tunaweza toka kwenye kilimo cha umaskini na kufanya kilimo kuwa ajira.

Kubolesha soko la nje ndio mbinu ya utajiri, wanaotuuzia Computer, Saa, Phone na Nguo sisi tutawauzia chakula
Bila serikali kuboresha soko la nje..
Tutaendelea kua maskini.

Red Giant said:

Tanzania ni nchi inayofaa sana kwa kilimo tuna ardhi nzuri na kubwa sana, pia tuna maji mengi sana. Ni moja ya nchi zenye maji mengi duniani lakini ajabu yetu kilimo chetu ni cha kimaskini kupita maelezo. Wakulima ni maskini wa kutia aibu.
Kwa ardhi tuliyonayo kilimo kinaweza kuwa kimbilio la ajira kwa vijana.

Naombeni tuwe na mjadala mpana wa ni namna gani tunaweza toka kwenye kilimo cha umaskini na kufanya kilimo kuwa ajira.

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Hoja muhimu kiongozi Red Giant .

Siku moja nilikuwa nasikiliza hotuba ya Mwalimu Nyerere. Alinukulu takwimu rasmi isemayo, "Asilimia (akaitaja) ya Watanzania ni wakulima". Kisha, typical of Mwalimu, akawauliza hadhira: "Hawa watu wasingekuwa wakilima, ninyi serikali mungewapa kazi / ajira gani?"

Think of that.

Hao wakulima ambao, nikikunukuu, "ni maskini wa kutia aibu", wasipokuwa hata na huo mbadala wa kulima kilimo chetu ambacho, nikikunukuu, "ni cha kimaskini kupita maelezo", utawapa kazi gani wafanye?

Kwa Kiswahili kingine, chakula, malazi na mavazi utaweza kuwapatia?

Kule Ufilipino hairuhusiwi mtu ambaye si Raia wa Ufilipino kuwa mkulima, nilipata kusikia mahali. Utaweza kufanya lolote lingine, lakini siyo kulima. Kulima ni milki ya wananchi wenye nchi.

Wazo kwamba aje mtu na kilimo cha kisasa, ambaye si Mtanzania, au hata akiwa Mtanzania, lakini awatoe wakulima wadogo kwenye kulima, halafu awape "ajira" ya kuwa vibarua kwenye mashamba yake "ya ukweli", nadhani ndilo wazo lililojificha kwenye mada uliyoiwasilisha. Nadhani msingi wa hoja hii utatufikisha pabaya kama tutauendekeza. Hebu tafakuri tukiipokea hoja yako mazima:

Badala ya kuwa na wavuvi "maskini wa kutia aibu" wanaovua kwa uvuvi "wa kimaskini kupita maelezo", tuwatoe kwenye kazi ya kuvua; tuwalete matajri watakaovua kitajiri kwa mameli makubwa na vifaa vya kisasa. Halafu, matajiri hao watoe "ajira" kwa wavuvi wetu asilia kwenye mameli yao. Unaona hoja yako inakotupeleka?

Matatizo yanayokumba wakulima na kilimo ni muhimu yakatatuliwa; lakini si kwa njia hii unayoipendekeza kiongozi Red Giant .

Nashukuru mkuu kwa mtazamo wao huo, umechangamsha mada. Lengo langu hasa ni kuwa hiki kilimo kinachofanywa na watanzania kisiwe cha umaskini. Si lengo langu kwamba wageni wenye mitaji mikubwa waje na sisi tugeuke manamba.

Lengo langu kilimo kiwe kinalipa, kilimo kiwe ajira. Ule msemo "kama huna kazi kalime " kilimo iwe kazi. Tunaweza geuza kilimo chetu bila kufanyana manamba. Ngoja nikupe mfano mmoja wa China.

China ilikuwa mkulima akilima basi mnunuzi na anayepanga bei ya mazao ni serikali. Hili lilifanya bei ya mazao kuwa chini na uzalishaji wa mazao ulipungua, kiufupi kulikuwa na njaa. Sasa wakafanya reform. Wakasema kama wewe unalima ekari moja basi serikali itanunua kiasi fulani tu. Labda gunia tano. Zinazobaki utajua mwenyewe utazifanyia nini, utauza kwa unayemtaka, unakotaka na kwa bei unayotaka. Baada ya muda mfupi uzalishaji ukapanda vibaya mno. Njaa ikawa historia. Hali ya wananchi ikaboreka sana. Hakuna aliyeenda kuwa manamba lakini kilimo kikageuka ishu ya maana.

Surya said:

Kubolesha soko la nje ndio mbinu ya utajiri, wanaotuuzia Computer, Saa, Phone na Nguo sisi tutawauzia chakula
Bila serikali kuboresha soko la nje..
Tutaendelea kua maskini.

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Hili ni tatizo kubwa sana la kilimo chetu. Pengine ndiyo tatizo kuu. Leo unafunga mpaka , kesho unafungua. Bei ya soko hairudishi hata mtaji. Kilimo lazima kiwe cha kimaskini.
Nimewahi shauri kuwa, kama wanaogopa sana njaa basi tuanze na EA. Kuwe na soko huru la mazao kwa nchi za EAC. Mimi nikitaka kuuza mahindi Juba niwe kama tu nayatoa Songea kwenda Mwanza.

Red Giant said:

... Lengo langu kilimo kiwe kinalipa, kilimo kiwe ajira. Ule msemo "kama huna kazi kalime ufe" kilimo iwe kazi...

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Hapo itabidi ifutwe ile kaulimbiu kwamba Tanzania ni nchi ya Wakulima na Wafanyakazi. Yaani kaulimbiu unaweza kudhania kwamba ni ama unalima, au unafanya kazi. Hata wewe hapo Red Giant umesema kilimo kiwe ajira. Kwani kilimo siyo ajira? Umesema kilimo kiwe kazi. Kwani kilimo siyo kazi?

Red Giant said:

...
China ilikuwa mkulima akilima basi mnunuzi na anayepanga bei ya mazao ni serikali. Hili lilifanya bei ya mazao kuwa chini na uzalishaji wa mazao ulipungua, kiufupi kulikuwa na njaa. Sasa wakafanya reform. Wakasema kama wewe unalima ekari moja basi serikali itanunua kiasi fulani tu. Labda gunia tano. Zinazobaki utajua mwenyewe utazifanyia nini, utauza kwa unayemtaka, unakotaka na kwa bei unayotaka. Baada ya muda mfupi uzalishaji ukapanda vibaya mno. Njaa ikawa historia. Hali ya wananchi ikaboreka sana. Hakuna aliyeenda kuwa manamba lakini kilimo kikageuka ishu ya maana.

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Hapo ndipo pa kuanzia. Falsafa ipi tunayoitumia kama taifa?

Maendeleo makubwa sana kwenye jamii mbalimbali hutokea pale mchanganyiko wa yafuatayo unapotukia:1

1. Udogo wa serikali (Serikali inatunga sera tu, lakini yenyewe haiwi mfanyabiashara; yaani kuwa Refa-Mshambuliaji 😉 )
2. Ruksa. Mwananchi ana ruksa ya kufanya lolote apendalo: mradi asimuibie mwenzie, wala kumvunja mkono. Yaani, kuondokana na dhana ya Serikali-Yaya (Nanny-state). Hili la Ruksa linaendana na la tatu:
3. Kila mtu ataubeba msalaba wake mwenyewe. Hili sisi wananchi hatupendi kulisikia, na hivyo wanasiasa wanasitasita kutuambia. Lakini kama tunataka namba 1. na namba 2. hapo juu, basi shurti tukubali na namba 3. hii.

Hayo mambo matatu ndio huleta maendeleo makubwa ya haraka, kwa vile yanaendana na hulka ya binadamu ("ubinafsi").

Tukiyalinganisha mambo hayo matatu na mfano wako wa kilimo na wakulima:
1. Udogo wa serikali (Serikali inatunga sera tu, lakini yenyewe haiwi mfanyabiashara; yaani kuwa Refa-Mshambuliaji 😉 ): Hapa serikali itatunga sera tu ya kilimo kwamba patakuwa na huduma za ugani, mbegu, mbolea na pembejeo zingine za kilimo; masuala ya masoko; usindikaji, na kadhalika. Yote hayo yatafanywa na sekta binafsi. Serikali inaishia tu kutoa miongozo ya ujumla ya ushiriki wa sekta binafsi kwenye mambo hayo.

2. Ruksa. Mwananchi ana ruksa ya kufanya lolote apendalo: mradi asimuibie mwenzie, wala kumvunja mkono. Yaani, kuondokana na dhana ya Serikali-Yaya (Nanny-state). Hili la Ruksa linaendana na la tatu: Ruksa kulima mazao unayopenda, muda unaotaka, na kumuuzia yeyote unayependa kumuuzia, kwa bei unayotaka; ikiwa mtu huyo yuko TZ au nje; pasipo kuwapo na mtu atakayekulazimisha ukauze mazao yako mahali fulani.

3. Kila mtu ataubeba msalaba wake mwenyewe. Hili sisi wananchi hatupendi kulisikia, na hivyo wanasiasa wanasitasita kutuambia. Lakini kama tunataka namba 1. na namba 2. hapo juu, basi shurti tukubali na namba 3. hii. Si kazi ya serikali kukutafutia mbolea, kukupa ruzuku, kukusaidia mazao yasiposhamiri shambani; si kazi yake kukuletea maafisa ugani; wala kukusaidia kupata masoko.

Kwenye sehemu ya kwanza nasema kilimo siyo kazi na haiwezi kuwa ajira kwa sababu hizi. Kima cha chini cha mshahara Tz ni 300,000 ni kama 3, 600,000 kwa mwaka. Ni wakulima wachache sana wanweza kulima na kupata faida 3,600,000 kwa mwaka. Nimekaa na wakulim. Unakuta mkulima mzuri tu anapata gunia 30 za mpunga. Akiuza kwa 60,000 kila gunia anapata 1.8m. akitoa gharama unakuta ana kam 1.2m. mwaka mzima! Kazi ya 100,000 kwa mwezi!. Ni mfano tu lakini kilimo hakilipi kwamba iwe ajira ya kumtoa mtu kwenye umaskini. Kinahitaji mageuzi.

Hii sehemu ya pili umeongea mambo ambayo kwakweli yakifanyika kilimo kitabadilika kabisa, kitakuwa 'kazi na ajira'. Ila ni ngumu serikali kutekeleza hivyo. Mwandishi mmoja aliandika kuwa.

Wakati wa ukoloni, wakoloni Africa walianzisha bodi za mazao ili kupanga bei na kunyonya muafrika. Tulipopata uhuru tukajikuta tunategemea sana kilimo kupata mapato ya kuendesha nchi. Basi hatukuvunja bodi hizo za kinyonyaji. Kwahiyo serikali inaogopa ikitoa mkono kwenye kupanga bei na kucontrol kilimo itakosa mapato, bado tuna hizo sera za enzi za uhuru.

Sababu nyingine alisema kuwa. Kawaida wanaoangusha nchi kwa kuandamana huwa ni watu wa mijini. Sababu kubwa inayowafanya watu waandamane kirahisi ni kupanda kwa bei ya vyakula. Kwahiyo serikali hujitahidi kwa namna yeyote ile bei ya chakula iwe chini. Hufunga mipaka na kucontrol bei. Kwahiyo serikali kusema ziwe na hiyo sera ya ruksa, mtu akatafute masoko kokote,inakuwa ngumu japo ni sera itayokuza kilimo, itayotupa uhakika wa chakula na kumuinua mkulima.
Mlenge

Red Giant said:

Tanzania ni nchi inayofaa sana kwa kilimo tuna ardhi nzuri na kubwa sana, pia tuna maji mengi sana. Ni moja ya nchi zenye maji mengi duniani lakini ajabu yetu kilimo chetu ni cha kimaskini kupita maelezo. Wakulima ni maskini wa kutia aibu.
Kwa ardhi tuliyonayo kilimo kinaweza kuwa kimbilio la ajira kwa vijana.

Naombeni tuwe na mjadala mpana wa ni namna gani tunaweza toka kwenye kilimo cha umaskini na kufanya kilimo kuwa ajira.

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Conceptually, one could argue that agriculture could be used as a vehicle which provides employment for our young people. However, we shouldn’t fool ourselves. This isn’t going to work. Each year, a substantial number of young people migrate to cities to try their luck, and the push to modernize farming will not reverse the trend. Today, in some cities such as Dar Es salaam, there are more people who migrated in those cities from rural areas than those who were born there. How are you going to tell these migrants to go back to their village to engage in farming?

Moreover, Tanzanian land isn’t going to increase to match population growth. As a fact, it has remained the same since 1961; whereas, the population has grown from 11 and 55 million. Therefore, if our population continues to grow at its current rate, soon we reach a point where we will have no land for farming. The question is what I we going to do when we get there? Personally, I don’t have the answer. But I think the best way is to start thinking right now.

If I were in a position to make decisions, the first thing I will do is to try to reduce that number of people who engage in agriculture. I know this idea is a very hard to sell. But the fact that the country has good land and water sources should be a reason why we should have fewer farmers who can cultivate the land very well and feed the entire nation and produce a surplus. This might sound counter intuitive for many Tanzanians but it works very well in other nations. To me, agriculture production should be a matter of national security. If the country has few professional solders to secure and protect the country, surely it should have fewer professional farmers to engage in farming.

Take for example the USA. American farmers are legendary as they produce enough for their country and surplus to sell outside the country. One can argue that they do that because they have machinery. That’s certainly true. But when you look deeper, farmers are less than 5% of the population, and the government is capable of providing that small population various assistance including machinery to make sure that the agriculture sector is profitable.

On the contrary, the population of peasants in Tanzania is around 80% and majority of them occupy small pieces of land and engage in sustenance farming of various crops. As such, it is insane to think that the government can help them sufficiently. This might seem nonsense. But the truth is it’s very easier to institute programs which help farmers who engage in large scale farming with specialized production methodologies and crops. As a matter of fact, the activities of these farmers don’t differ from other types of industrial activities such as making shoes or cloths.

Our politicians have used small farming as a pacifier to delay the inevitable, youth and urban unemployment. They want to avoid solving unemployment issues. As such, they want to retain the 80% population of peasants. They try to do everything to make village life most appealing. They try to provide cheap education, water and electricity. However, an average Tanzanian village can’t cover the basic service the government provides. Tanzanian villages can’t pay teacher’s salaries or maintain schools and dispensaries.

Kwa wale wa siku nyingi, nadhani Zakumi akiwemo huu si mjadala wa kwanza, tumekuwa nao muda mrefu
Ni mjadala mzuri sana kwa bahati mbaya watu hawataki kukabiliana na ukweli, wanatafuta flimsy excuse

Tukirudi kwenye historia, Nyerere hakuwa na watalaam na ndicho kikawa chanzo cha kuanzisha vyuo vya certificate kisha Diploma ili kujenga uwezo. Baada ya hapo tukawa na chuo kikuu cha kilimo SUA

Uwepo wa SUA ulilenga kutoa wataalam watakaondoa kilimo cha kuinama na jembe hadi kilimo cha kisasa katika scale ya dunia. Yaani kulisha nchi jirani na za mbali. Hili linawezekana kutokana na arable land tuliyo nayo.

Kukiondoa kilimo kutoka jembe la mkono kunaanza na kuwawezesha wakulima watumie kilimo cha matrekta na si majembe ya kukoktwa tena. Katika kufanikisha hilo serikali ina mkono na ushiriki mkubwa sana

Tuna Wabunge takribani 400 na serikali ina uwezo wa kuwapa V8 wote.
Inasemwa wanakopeshwa lakini pia 45% ya pesa hizo hazirudishwi na hata zile zinazolipwa zina afadhali.

Serikali inashindwa kukopesha matrekta 400 kwa vijana wanaomaliza SUA wenye nia ya kuanzisha kilimo.

Hawa ndio waliokuwa wawe chachu ya kubadilisha mitazamo ya kilimo huko vijijini.
Kwanini hawapewi mikopo kama Wabunge?
Jibu ni rahisi si wanasiaa na kama si hivyo hawawezi kuwa kipaumbele

Tunatumia pesa nyingi sana kwa mambo yasiyolisaidia Taifa. Hatukubali ukweli lakini huo ndio ukweli

Tunatumia muda mwingi kupambana wenyewe kwa wenyewe, hatana muda wa kufikiri kilimo.
Huo ni ukweli

Fikiria, hakuna mtu anayejiuliza kilimo cha Wajapan kule lower Moshi kwanini kimekufa?

Watu wapo bize kupambana na wapinzani, tena wakijizatiti kwa madereya na mabomu.
Hivi tatizo ni wapinzani au masikini wa jembe la mkono?

Hatuna tatizo la ardhi wala hali ya hewa, tuna tatizo la watu wenye kufikiri kwa upana na wenye nia njema za kusaidia Taifa badala ya matumbo yao. Hili ndilo tatizo la Afrika.

Kama hamkabiliani nalo basi hamtapata ufumbuzi wa matatizo hata hili la kilimo!

Sisi Tanzania tulitakiwa tuwe power house kulisha EA na SADC na hilo tu lingeondoa nchi katika umasikini.

Tatizo unaweza kuliona kila mahali, tazama mijadala ya Bunge letu halafu uniambie umasikini utaisha!

Kwamba mjadala wa Chadema 19 wanawake umeliteka Bunge kana kwamba ni jambo lisilo na sheria.

Jitihada zinatumika hata kujiuliza ni kwanini. Wanaofanya hivyo wanatumia 0% ya muda wao kufikiria tu au hata kuwa na mjadala tunainuaje kilimo chetu! hata kujiuliza tu hawawezi.

Yaani wale 19 wanapewa kipaumbele huko Bungeni kuliko 85% inayotumia jembe la mkono.
Kwa uwezo huo wa kufikiri, umasikini unaishaje nchini? Kilimo kinakuwaje ajira? Nani anajali hilo?

Msione aibu kulisema tatizo. Hatuna tatizo la ardhi, watu wala rasilimali.

Tuna tatizo la kufikiri kwa wananchi na viongozi wetu.

JokaKuu Mag3

Nguruvi3;

Thanks for a bit of history. When I was a college student in Europe, I had some opportunities to work in farms during my summer vacations. The farmers I had contact with didn’t have degrees in agriculture. If they had, it was in different disciplines such as business or accounting. As a matter of fact, a good number of them didn’t have university education at all.

Now looking back to what you have just said in your last post, it seems to me that from the beginning our emphasis was to create an education system which produces experts who would have championed the green revolution at every level of society. For example, we have had agriculture training centers or colleges for primary school and secondary school leavers to work directly with farmers. On top of that, we have had SUA and other high learning institutions to produce top notch researchers, administrators and policy makers. However, sixty years down the road, the revolution in agriculture hasn’t materialized.

Frankly speaking, if we compare our national blue prints in agriculture to those of other African nations, we should be on top of the pile. However, that isn’t the case. For instance, our yields per acre, even by African standards, is one of the worse in the continent. Simply put, we haven’t improved.

In your post you say the government should have helped graduates of SUA buy machinery such as tractors. That’s only an assumption and we can blame the government now because the assumption wasn’t attempted. On the other hand, suppose the government had attempted that approach and failed, what other reasons could we use to blame the government? I bet; we will have found an array of other reasons to explain why the government has failed.

Not get me wrong. I am not trying to defend the government here. But I think, sometimes, it’s necessary to take a close look at what we have invested and see if we could have done better with little resources we have had. Take for example people who attend agriculture institutions at every levels. Are they interested to engage in agriculture or are they forced to go to agriculture schools because their grades or selection have forced them to go there? To me I think a lot of people have been forced to attend agriculture schools. If they could have had opportunities to attend schools of their choices, they could have done differently. Sadly, this situation is prevalent in other disciplines too. People who have talents in engineering go to medicine and vice versa. This is maddening. So, one could argue that, we have misused and misplaced our precious human resources. In developed countries, experts in every field will tell you that they love what they do.

With regards to the sector itself, agriculture is business like any other as it involves risk taking, losses and profits. The risks in agriculture are huge and unpredictable, and even for educated professionals in the sector. Therefore, risk takers opt for something else to avoid risks they can’t mitigate. And this brings me to the point I was trying to make in my introduction. In Europe, America, Japan and other developed countries, government absolve risks associated with agriculture such as drought, low price, tariffs and capital costs. As such, even farmers with no college education in those countries can engage in farming and prosper.

Zakumi kuna mambo kadhaa nitayazungumzia katika hoja zako hapo juu
Kwanza, kwamba kilimo kinaweza kufanywa na mtu asiye na elimu nakubaliana nawe 100% lakini mtu huyo lazima azungukwe na wataalam pindi wanapomuhitaji. Nadhani hapo ulipokuwa Ulaya uliona ukweli huo

Hapa nchini maeneo wanaoyafanya kilimo japo cha kisasa na ufugaji matumizi ya wataalam ni makubwa
Kwahiyo hatuwezi kuepuka kuwatumia wataalam kwa hoja kwamba kilimo kinaweza tu kufanywa na yoyote

Pili, nilipozungumzia wataalam wa SUA sikumaanisha kwamba wao ndio wawe wakulima, ninamaanisha wawe sehemu ya mapinduzi ya kilimo. Kwa mfano wao ndio wanaweza kutengeneza irrigation schemes n.k

Nilipotoa mfano wa Matrekta nilimaanisha kuwa ni rahisi sana Mbunge kupewa V8 kuliko kijana anayedhamiria kufanya kilimo kutoka SUA.

Nina uhakika wapo wenye nia lakini inawezekanaje mtu mwenye 100,000 Tsh akakopesheka Bank kwa Trekta la 200 M? Kwanini mkulima anaambiwa akakope Bank, Mbunge aanakopeshwa na serikali na siyo kukopa Bank?

Kwa mantiki hiyo , nakubaliana na hoja yako kwamba katika nchi zilizoendelea za Ulaya, Japan na America serikali inachukua risk zinazo kuwa associated na Ukame, Bei, kodi na Mitaji.

Kwetu sisi serikali haiwezi hatakuchukua kadhamana kumwezesha mkulima aondoke hatua moja kwenda ya juu
Hili ni kwasababu kilimo si kipaumbele, tuna invest sana kwenye mambo yasiyo na tija kwa wananchi.

Lakini tatizo kubwa ni kukosa watu wenye fikra na mitazamo mipana. Fuatilia Bunge letu ukiwa na nafasi!!!

Mwisho,kuhusu mfumo wa elimu hilo nalo nakubaliana nalo. Kwamba, hatujengi kizazi kwa kuangalia interest na talent. Mwisho wa siku mhitimu wa Agro-Engineering amesimama counter ya CRDB.

Tunaweza kufanya mapinduzi makubwa, tuna kila kitu isipokuwa kitu kimoja, viongozi wenye fikra

Nashukuru mkuu Zakumi kwa mchango wako.
Kwenye point yako ya kwanza umesema ni namna gani tunaweza kuwaambia hao vijana warudi vijijini. Hao wamekimbia kwasababu kilimo hakilipi tena. Kuna mtu aliniambia kulima ni ujinga sababu alikuwa anauza gunia la viazi kwa 30,000 serikali ilipofunga mipaka bei ikawa 18, 000. Bora mtu auze karanga kwenye ungo mjini na si kulima. Hapa kinachotakiwa ni kufanya kilimo kiwe kinalipa. Kuwe na uhakika wa soko na bei. Hii habari ya kufunga mipaka dhidi ya mazao ya kilimo inadumaza sana kilimo chetu. Kilimo kikiweza kulipa vijana hawawezi kukikimbia. Tumeanzisha Tanzania mercantile exchange. Hii ikifanya kazi kama ilivyokusudiwa itasaidia sana suala la soko na bei.

Umesema pia ardhi yetu haikui na sisi tumetoka 11m hadi kuelekea 60m. Ni kweli lakini hii ardhi yetu bado hatujaitumia ipasavyo. Wanasema tuna ekari milioni 29 zinazofaa kwa kilimo cha umwagiliaji lakini tunazotumia hazifiki hata milioni moja? Japo mwisho wa siku fursa kwenye kilimo zitajaa lakini kwasasa fursa ni nyingi na zinaweza kukuza uchumi wetu pakubwa sana. Utajiri wa kwenye kilimo unaweza kuwekezwa kwenye sekta nyingine. Kuna kipindi New Zealand ilikuwa na per capita kubwa sana lakini sehemu kubwa ya uchumi wake ilikuwa ni kilimo.

Nakubaliana kuwe na wakulima wakubwa wenye ufanisi lakini iwe mchanganyiko wa wakulima wakubwa na wadogo. Nchi yetu watu hawana elimu, kimbilio lao ni ukulima mdogomdogo. Kwa hiyo kilimo cha wote wawili kinafaa kwa nchi yetu.

Wanasiasa wetu wametupa mkono kilimo chetu na pengine ni mtaji wao wakulima kuendelea kuwa maskini kama ulivyosema. Pesa za kujenga daraja la kupita baharini pale Salenda lingeweza kujenga irrigation scheme kubwa sana. Sidhani kama serikali imewahi jenga irrigation scheme kubwa kwa kuplan yenyewe, nyingi zimejengwa na 'mabeberu'.

Rightly so. The person who engages in agriculture business should be surrounded by experienced professionals. By experienced professionals, I mean people who engage in agriculture for living. They might lack diplomas in agriculture, but their work experience in the sector makes up for that.

In many countries, even in Tanzania, the farming business with its expertise is passed on from one generation to the next. Therefore, if you teach one generation to apply the best practice in farming, mostly likely the next generations will follow seamlessly as if it were in the family DNA.

For example, after the Second World War, Europe experienced the shortage of experience of manpower. One of the solutions devised was to send young people to America to work with farmers for two years to gain not only hand-on experience, but also the home economics in farming. Upon returning home, their governments helped them to settle in in their new business. Some of them became very successfully and passed their trade to their children and grandchildren. I attest this not because I have read it in some books but because I worked for a Swedish farmer who went through this experience. He didn’t have the academic nitty-gritty, but his experience was on the marks.

In 1970s, the Tanzanian government wanted to transform the livestock sector. A number of Tanzanians were sent to America to work with American farmers to gain hand-on experience. For example, where my father used to work, one person who used to work in the livestock division was supposed to go the US to study and bring the expertise back home. This didn’t go as planned. For, the boss who had no expertise or desired to work in the area stealthy took the opportunity to go and stay in the US for more than one year. When I look back, I think this boss starved the generations of Tanzanians with his selfishness.

The point I want to make is once you acquire knowledge and make it your habit you will influence many. This is especially true in agriculture business where there is a soft of family continuity. One generation passes the farming business and its expertise to the next and so forth. Certain, other entities in the society such as the education system, government and business interact with farming. However, the role of these entities isn’t necessary to produce a new farmer out of the blue, but rather to improve productivity and open new opportunities for existing farmers who are most likely to produce the next batch of farmers. This doesn’t imply that people with other backgrounds can’t be farmers. They can, but rarely. The number of farmers per population is going down in any given society. Therefore, to me, the best way to improve farming isn’t to try to attract new farmers, but rather to maintain existing family continuity. And this raises a question.

In today’s environment, how do we will encourage an expert farmer to ask his or her children stay in the farm and continue the family business? At national regional and national levels, we should try to create the economics which incentivize farming. What are they? I don't have an idea.

Take the scenario of farmers in developed countries. They have access to loans, expertise, and technology and they can produce in abundance. However, in Econ 101, we have learnt that if supply increases the price goes down. Therefore, in theory, one could argue that the abundance of agriculture products in developed countries put farmers in those countries in a very disadvantage position. For, the overproduction reduces the actual market prices and eats the profits. The question now is if farmers in those countries can’t make profits because they have oversupplied the market, why do they continue to exist? If they can’t make profits, certainly they will not be able to pay their loans or buy new machinery? More importantly, they will have to find new occupations and they will be not able to pass their expertise to the next generation. What economic incentives they have to stay in business? We need to find out.

It is very easy to tell somebody else child to go back to village and become a peasant. However, people who have lived in village and experienced the hardship of being peasants know exactly what it takes to be a farmer. So wholeheartedly, I agree with your observation.

Now with regards to the land, the management of it is the key issue. We live in the tropics and our ecosystem is very delicate. Therefore, we can’t just continue opening farms without taking a closer look at their impacts on our ecosystem. Besides, our yields per acre are very small, even by African standards. The question is can we improve our yields in the existing farms? If we can, our existing farmer can produce enough for us and for our neighbors as well. Take for example milk and meat production. In Africa, Tanzania is in the top three if I am not mistaken. But we don’t produce sufficient milk or meat for our own consumption.

Certainly, small, mid-size, large scale farms can co-exist. However, if the goal is to increase youth employment, I don’t see how that type of co-existence will attract young people to go back to their villages to farm. Please educate me!!!

I believe at this point our government should be able to do all the above. It should be able to help farmers with irrigation schemes, build bridges, and do other things as well. The main problem is our leader are reactionary. They don’t solve problem. They react.