Good Food for the city of Arusha

The challenges

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Tanzania is food secure at the national level according to World Food Programme reports and Arusha City has relatively good food security compared to other parts of Tanzania. However, there are significant challenges expected in the future due to:

• Rapid urbanization - The Arusha City Masterplan expects the population under Arusha City Council to grow from 416,000 in 2012 to 1.5m by 2035 and 2m by 2050. This is as a result of migration but also from expansion of the City.
• High water stress - Arusha catchment area is part of the Pangani Water Basin which has renewable water resources of 1,200m3 per capita, a level below global benchmarks for water-stressed areas (1700m3). Moreover, water stress is expected to become more severe due to the expansion of commercial water demand. the growth of demand in urban areas, the irrigation expansion and climate change.
• Climate change impacts - Changes due to climate change will highly likely lead to a reduction in yields and changes in crop choices (e.g. maize, coffee).
• Regional political dynamics - The political framework is fragile and farmers often need to face market shocks due to rapid, unexpected regulation changes (e.g. export/import bans).
• Poor food safety practices - Around 80 percent of the Tanzanian population is active in agriculture. The farms are small - a few hectares on average - and the yields low. Many farmers don’t have machines, irrigation, adequate seeds, fertilizers or pesticides and the use of crop protection products is often excessive with serious implications for food safety. Farmers who export their products must first go through a certification process to prove that they apply so-called “Good Agricultural Practices” (GAP) but there is no such code of conduct for farmers who only produce for the domestic market.

ALTERNATIVE PARAGRAPH

Although Tanzania is food secure at the national level according to the World Food Programme reports, Arusha City still faces certain challenges in the future. The city’s population will grow from 416,000 to 2 million by 2050 due to rapid urbanization as a result of migration and expansion. High water stress due to the expansion of commercial water demand will also be a challenge in the future. Arusha catchment area is part of the Pangani Water Basin which has renewable water resources of 1,200m3 per capita, a level below global benchmarks for water-stressed areas (1700m3). Climate change impacts will highly likely lead to a reduction in yields and changes in crop choices. Regional political dynamics also influence the market. Thus, farmers often need to face market shocks due to rapid unexpected regulation changes. Lack of machines, irrigation, adequate seeds, fertilizers or pesticides and the use of crop protection products is often excessive with serious implications for food safety.

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Results

Milestones in improving Arusha's food system

2021

• We have been working on circular economy in Arusha by commercializing organic food waste collection, ensuring clean markets that contribute towards food safety as well as creating jobs for youth. Further, together with Mesula, a youth-led business that trains farmers on safe food production and sells their produce in Arusha City, an e-commerce platform was developed that provides a shorter food distribution chain and ensures traceability.
• The Participatory Food Safety System (PFSS) working group has been working on the initial design of the participatory system that provides a cheap and trustworthy alternative to official certification. It will be piloted in 2022 with a focus on the fruits and vegetable sector in Arusha’s Kilombero and Tengeru markets and working with MUVIKIHO farmers (farmer organisation nearby Arusha City).
• The Generation Food project's final incubation phase came to an end in 2021. During the incubation, 21 youth-led businesses were coached and mentored. Additionally, 15 youth were capacitated with knowledge on policy, advocacy and communication skills. These youth participated at the national food system summit where they advocated for a better business environment that enables youth to engage in food systems.

2020

• We transformed the Arusha Food Safety Initiative into the Arusha Sustainable Food Systems Platform (ASPF) because it now gathers interest from various stakeholders to work on broader issues other than food safety only. This platform is made up of actors in the food system, such as public institutions or governments, research and academia, private sector actors, civil society organisations and NGOs. The platform facilitates multi-stakeholder dialogues that address food system change within Arusha. It consists of a steering committee that offers an advisory role to six working groups, which are: Safe production, food safety standards and regulations, consumer sensitization, participatory food safety system (PFSS/PGS), youth in agriculture, and finally city planning and logistics.
• We worked with platforms members to set up interactive radio campaigns on healthy, sustainable, and nutritious diets to create more awareness about the consumption of these foods. Further, we also engaged TAHA to improve food safety standards of fresh fruits and vegetables at the retail level, especially in the markets, through the adoption of a Kiosk-model. In Arusha, three food stalls were improved and transformed into kiosks.
• Through the Generation Food project that aims to encourage and support youth to be in the driving seat of sustainable food systems, youth have been trained on business management skills, value chain specific skills through a hackathon (180 youth participated) and a bootcamp (70 youth). These youth have developed sustainable businesses that offer solutions to the pressing food systems challenges in Arusha such as developing eco-friendly packaging of products and eco-friendly food delivery through 100% electric motorbikes.

2019

• In 2019, we conducted baseline studies on 3 key elements of Arusha’s food system: the local economy, food safety and access to food.
• Several Kiosk food stalls have been installed in traditional local markets: in the Kiosks consumers are informed about the importance of safe food and they are offered fruit and vegetables from farmers who adhere to the local GAP standard, and farmers get higher and fair price for their products.

• MUVIKIHO, an umbrella of agricultural organisations is developing, supported by Rikolto, an inclusive business model for safe vegetables. Moreover, several training courses have been organised where farmers learn how to produce better and safer food. We support farmers in implementing** good and climate-smart agricultural practices** and quality management systems.
• Together with the Tanzania Bureau of Standards, Solidaridad, Rikolto and local partners put together a local Code of Good Agricultural Practice.

2018

• In 2018, Rikolto co-initiated the creation of the Arusha Food Safety Committee, a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to ensuring access to safe food for all Arushans. Food Safety Steering Committee providing feedback and piloting.

Figures

• Rikolto Tanzania currently works with over 10,000 farmers to support inclusive business development and improvements in food production and trading that address key issues identified by the Arusha Food Smart City initiative, such as environmental management and food safety risks.
• We expect to reach 20,000 consumers through the expansion of this initiative once additional funds are secured.
• In 2018, Muvikiho members produced 60,000 tons of vegetables for domestic consumption and exported 2,000 tons to Europe.