The Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division (AGS) held another session of its series of training workshops on planning and implementing contract farming operation,in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, from 11 to13 of November, 2013. The event was convened by the Southern Highlands Food Systems Project, which is under implementation by FAO in Tanzania with funding from Germany.

The goal of the Workshop was to build capacity of government officials, development practitioners, professionals from NGOs, private sector representatives and others with roles in facilitating or managing contract farming (CF) operations.

The event was attended by 27 participants. As in the previous sessions of this workshop series held in Asia and Latin America, the program included  presentations and case study discussions covering CF basic concepts and guidance on planning CF operations, implementation, legal issues, and contractual design.

A highlight was the presentation of the contract farming activities of a major private sector company with operations in Tanzania and some other 40 countries globally.

Participants had a chance to openly discuss the CF operations of this company, their strategies to deal with the challenges of working with smallholder farmers and their vision on the role of CF in promoting inclusive market linkages.

 A presentation on CF challenges and opportunities in Tanzania made by a representative from the country’s trade development authority (TanTrade) was another highlight of the workshop.

The highly positive feedback received from participants of the event is suggestive of the strong interest in contract farming issues in Tanzania.

Discussions are presently under way to further the engagement of FAO in support of this area of work in the country.