MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Smart Farmers and Transformation

One-line solution summary:

To improve the economic of farmers around conserved areas and National Parks in Kagera region

Pitch your solution.

Prevention of the conserved areas invasion due to human activities and poaching within nation parks is the main problem that leads to destruction of ecosystem and loose of the nature.

In order for those farmers to avoid the invasion of conserved areas and Animal poaching within the National parks they should be supported in improvement of their economic status, by empowering them in practicing agroforestry which will enable them getting enough food in small area hence they are conserving environment.

Animal keeping in zero grazing system will help farmers to get stew instead of depending on animal poaching.

Empowerment of farmers in Agroforestry will help farmers to have surplus and they will earn high yields in small area hence area will be conserved and prevent them from invasion of conserved areas for the purpose of cultivation

What specific problem are you solving?

Kagera region the home of 2,458,023 people among of them 1205683 are male and 1252340 are male (2012 national census)

1720616 people are farmers which is equivalent to 70% of all people in kagera region. this group people depends on locally farming systems which includes shifting cultivation and tree cutting farming system which remains area barely.

This project will benefits 2231033 farmers who located in rural areas within kagera region among of them 1338620 are female and 892413 are male

What is your solution?

This project aims To improve the economic of farmers around conserved areas and National Parks in Kagera region by empowering them in improved animal keeping and Agroforestry for the purpose of preventing farmers from invasion of National conserved areas and National parks.

In implementation of this project farmers will be involved in small animal keeping like pig and poultry. They will use intensive keeping system.

The keeping of these animals will be done in groups of farmers whereby by each group will be distributed with the specified number of animals whereby the generations of those animal will be distributed to other group members while returning the part of products to organization for the sustainability of the organization.

Farmers will be capacitated in agroforestry especially in Sustainable agriculture Land Managements (SALM) practices and there will awareness cleating in agroforestry concept among beneficiaries.

In implementation of this project there will trainings, Enhancing organization capacity. formation of farmers production groups and the Villages Savings and Loans Agency groups to help innovations of project ideas to the farming communities.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This project aiming to serve all groups of the community which includes women, Youth and disabilities.

Through this solution 973,500 will be adult women, 592,000 adult male, , 365,120 are Youth Female, 300413 are youth male and 5,470 people with disabilities.

The mentioned above groups currently have no regular serving system hence are note closed together with same known idea. In order to work with the will form groups in each village from the villages surroundings the conserved area and national park.

Pig and Poultry keeping as well as Agroforestry will enable them to get income which will improve their life standard, availability of enough food, decreases of deforestation and invasion of conserved areas, sustainability of national conserved areas and National parks hence there will be no poaching of animals and deforestation.

All of these activities will be done simultaneously with replanting of trees in degraded and deforested areas so as to recover the natural ecosystem. and by the end of this project 350,000 trees will be planted.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Create scalable economic opportunities for local communities, including fishing, timber, tourism, and regenerative agriculture, that are aligned with thriving and biodiverse ecosystems

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

Rural farmers are the one who are dealing with farming activities which leads to the invasion and deforestation on the conserved areas.

To support the improvement of their economy will serve the destruction of those conserved areas. the Agroforestry will help the to minimize the land for cultivation hence they get high yields and the keeping of poultry and pig will help these farmer to get stew and they will stop animal poaching in National parks.

The involvement of Women, Youth and Disabilities will simplifies the adaptation of solution with the community

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Kagera, Tanzania

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

This solution is at growth stage since the have already started in some area within the project area. For the period of two years the organization started implementing the same activity in two district of Kagera Region which Karagwe District and Kyerwa district through the project of Plan Vivo and ALIVE program under Vi agroforestry.

Through this project 1200 farmers from 20 wards in Karagwe and Kyerwa districts benefited and their life have improved in some point

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

This project will leaded by the Executive director