Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

Kilombero District Commissioner encourages System of Rice Intensification Farming

 

Kilombero District Commissioner Hon Adv. Dunstan Kyobya has instructed village government leaders, ward and extension officers in the District to ensure that they are at the forefront of delivering Intensive Rice Farming Technology to Farmers.

Hon. Kyobya issued these instructions today, July 02, 2025, on the Rice Farmer's Field Day held at the Mkula Village and Ward Scheme in the Ifakara Town Council.

These instructions came after receiving testimony from a farmer who is also the Chairman of the Mkula Village Government, Mr. Alli Barakasa, who has farmed by following the best principles of Intensive Agriculture, which he says results in low production costs but high yields.

"In our Mkula scheme, we received this education from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and now we have become experienced in farming and teaching others the beauty of this agriculture is its low production costs. For example, I personally used two and a half to three kilograms of seeds to plant one acre and harvested an average of 12-13 sacks with a capacity of 150 kilograms, unlike conventional agriculture where I used to use twenty kilograms of seeds per acre and harvested an average of six to eight sacks," said Ally.

On the part of TARI, a researcher from the TARI Ifakara center, Dr. Kulwa Furahisha, said that this agriculture encourages the use of less seeds, less water but more harvests, where they aim to increase productivity for the individual farmer and the nation as a whole while preserving the environment and avoiding conflicts including water use.