Growing food security
How a few beans could help farmers in Tanzania raise themselves out of poverty
By Spencer Van Dyk
“East Africa is a hotbed of agricultural growth,” said Kimberly Flowers, the food security director for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
In Tanzania, almost 90 per cent of the population works in agriculture, growing mostly maize and beans, and 93 per cent of plots are smaller than five acres. Most farmers live off what they grow and cannot afford much more.
Canadian-funded projects in Tanzania are working to encourage farmers to grow improved bean seeds — ones that have more iron and zinc, and that are climate-smart — to make more money, eat better food, and raise themselves out of food insecurity and poverty.
Here are the stories of farmers who use the beans, farmers who don’t, and the obstacles they face implementing the technology.
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