AMSHA Agribusiness Model in
Coast and South Eastern Tanzania
by
Omary A. Mwaimu, BA.Economics
Institutional coordinator- Amsha IRE (EA) Ltd
Email: info@amsha.org cc : mwaimu@amsha.org
Website: www.amsha.org
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Background
• AMSHA Institute of Rural Entrepreneurship (EA)
Limited which is a company limited by guarantee
and not having share capital.
• ‘Amsha’ is a Swahili word, which means awaken,
arouse, stimulate.
• In this case it means awaken, educate and build
capacity to self-employ in commercial agriculture
within rural settings of Tanzania and East Africa in
general
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• The main activities of Amsha are entrepreneurial
mindset development and sustainable rural
development through agribusiness promotion.
• In supporting youth in agriculture, Amsha has
about 1000 youth in groups of about 10-20
people in Coast and South Eastern Tanzania.
• Also Amsha initiate various youth in agribusiness
programs like TYIAF – Tanzania Youth in
Agribusiness Forum with collaboration with other
institute/ company like TGFA, SNV, among others.
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Impact
• Bring together low or ordinarily educated rural farmers and
highly educated and professional urban prospective
farmers.
• Launched four Amsha Agribusiness services centers with
the aim of promoting and bringing closer the agribusiness
activities/services to the farmers.
4
• Food and livelihood security is guaranteed
because every member, must have both
subsistence and commercial farm plot.
• Transforming subsistence agriculture into
commercial farming.
5
Challenges and related strategic solutions
• Fear of change (“How possible? Who have tried it?
How if I lose my…?”
• Lack of direct government support, especially the
district agriculture and livestock department
• Limited local and international institutional network
or collaboration or Limited awareness on national
and international opportunities in the agriculture
sector
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• Lack of direct government support, especially
the district agriculture and livestock
department.
• Lack of social security system to cater for
health and education services to members.
• Lack of responsive financial support system to
offset seasonal financial needs of farmers.
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How to attract and retain youth in the
agribusiness sector
• Stakeholders must articulate a new vision of
agriculture that can be attractive to the young
people and align with their aspirations and
interests.
• Agriculture must be transformed from purely
subsistence to commercial farming, where
farmers undertake agriculture as a business.
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• The negative image and perceptions about
agriculture in the face of the youth should be
changed.
• The Ministry of agriculture can, for example, set
up a Youth Advisory Committee to look into
various ways of attracting and retaining the youth
in this sector.
• The Government should strengthen and maintain
agricultural institutions for extension, research
and innovation, credit, agro-processing and
marketing in order to enhance efficiency and
effectiveness of farming enterprises.
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• Appropriate affordable financial packages are
put in place by financial institutions involved
in agricultural lending- access to finance
• Deliberate efforts by agri-support agencies to
make inputs such as good seed, fertilizers,
basic mechanization and agricultural market
information available and affordable should
be undertaken.
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