School feeding programme empowers Salima farmers

Farmers’ cooperatives in traditional authorities (T/As) Maganga and Ndindi in Salima District have commended school-feeding programme supported by World Food Programme (WFP) for creating markets for their produce.

Speaking on Friday during a media tour the district’s education department organised for stakeholders to appreciate the project’s progress, the farmers said the school-feeding programme has provided ready markets for their produce.

Funde Farmers’ Cooperative chairperson James Makhavu said the programme has motivated them to produce more, thereby boosting their economic gains.

He said: “Previously, we were struggling to find markets for our commodities and vendors were taking advantage of us.

“However, after WFP started implementing the school-feeding programme, things started to change and now we are on a safer side.”

Makhavu said the project has helped them to expand their businesses.

He said: “Currently, we are not only selling crops but we are also doing value addition to make more profits.

“Our achievement is that we have also acquired a tractor from Agriculture Commercialisation.”

Maganga Farmers’ Cooperative secretary Aida Selemani said apart from improving their livelihoods, the programme has also helped them to form a farmers union where they shareideas.

“At first we could not supply the needed commodities to schools because we had no capacity but  we formed a cooperative to outsource commodities from our fellow farmers,” she said.

Mikute Primary School Food Committee chairperson Kasimu Audi from T/A Maganga said the cooperatives have helped schools to sourcecommodities easily.

“The arrangement will help schools not to face food shortages whileimplementing the project,” he said.

WFP is supporting the home-grown school-feeding programme to motivate learners to remain in school and improve children’s nutrition as well as performance.