Words from Tanzania

Part of a new 5-year VECO (Belgium NGO) program which the ELCT Diocese of Pare is a partner was to train farmers in four wards how to grow and use the nutricious grain amaranth via a workshop. The Diocese agriculture projects coordinator is attending school right now so I (Todd) took the lead in coordinating this workshop, which was held in a Lutheran Parish Church building located right next to the Diocese 3-acre seed farm in a village called Maore. I say village but it was an area that is not so small as it has shops and even some guest houses for the traveling workshop participants to stay, the Diocese leaders included. This 2-day event went off as pretty much as planned and what I found out was that the Diocese leaders are excellent presenters, very knowledgeable about their areas, and are just super at promoting this new amaranth crop which is an official Diocese project. Please see the pictures of Eli Kisimbo (agriculture project director) presenting, Mama Rosemary Solomon (women and childrens director) training some male farmers in how to cook and a site visit to the field of ready-to-harvest amaranth. Another thing I’ve read about but now am witnessing is the leadership of women in empowerment projects, especially in the agriculture sector. Out of 28 participating farmers, 19 were female. The women in this country are excellent entrepreneurs, hard workers, share ideas and help one another with projects, and how they produce! We are so fortunate to be able to participate in empowering some women farmers in starting a new cash crop for them, grain amaranth.