Vincent Hugo is one of the members of the UWAMALE Irrigators Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd. in Lekitatu, Tanzania. Starting with 15 members in 1997, the Society now has 175 farmer members, all of whom work to maintain, rehabilitate and expand the local irrigation infrastructure.
Lekitatu, a village near the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha, is known for its paddy fields. These days, up to 6 tons per hectare are harvested twice a year from more than 400 hectares – significantly higher yields than the 1.5 tons/ha which were common a few years ago. This is largely the result of the regular availability of water which, in turn, is the result of the River Basin Management Smallholder Irrigation Improvement Project (RBMSIIP) and of the efforts of the local farmers’ organisation.
Vincent Hugo is one of the members of this organisation: the UWAMALE Irrigators Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd. Starting with 15 members in 1997, the Society now has 175 farmer members, all of whom work to maintain, rehabilitate and expand the irrigation infrastructure.
The Society’s objectives extend beyond irrigation, and it also provides the necessary support for all the members to market their products. As no financial institution is willing to give them loans, members are now seeking to establish a local Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO).
Working together with projects and programmes, such as those run by the Hope Empowerment and Development Organisation (HEDO), a local NGO working in the area, they are sure to be successful.
Text: Eunike L. Kuzwa
