Jorgen Ole Haslestad, president and chief executive officer of major fertilizer manufacturer Yara International, traveled to Tanzania in early June to visit a Feed the Future rice model farm in Dakawa.
Joined by Yara’s chairman of the board, Bernt Reitan, as well as 17 other board members, Haslestad observed the impact that Yara’s fertilizer donations have had on the productivity of the rice paddy, which was established by USAID together with the Uwawakuda Water User Cooperative of Dakawa to educate farmers on effective fertilizer application.
Under Feed the Future, USAID is working to create stronger links between farmers and companies that manufacture agricultural inputs such as fertilizer. Yara, one of the 27 multinational companies that signed Letters of Intent to invest in the agriculture sectors of African countries as part of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, donated two types of fertilizers to the model rice farm and is working with the water user cooperative to improve the livelihoods of local smallholder rice producers while promoting food security and good nutrition.
Meeting with members of the cooperative in Dakawa, Haslestad remarked that Yara is fully committed to participating in Feed the Future to boost agricultural productivity in Tanzania.
Hajia Fatima Aliu is one of 200 Nigerian farmers participating in a farmer-managed integrated rice-fish farming project to increase her yields and sustain crops through severe climate events.
Read MoreIn 2004, Mira DC opened her first agricultural tools store, Janata Agrovet, where she sells vegetables, maize, and rice seeds as well as rice, insecticides, fertilizers and other farming equipment. At first, sales were slow, in part because she had few relationships with farmers, wholesalers, traders, other organizations and the local municipality – and many were men. Mira partnered with a Feed the Future project called USAID Knowledge-based Integrated Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal II (KISAN II). USAID KISAN II aims to increase resilience, inclusiveness and sustainability for more than 200,000 agribusiness owners like Mira.
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