COCO has trained 21 communities in sustainable agriculture techniques.
272 farmers have been directly trained
2,688 farmers have been trained indirectly, as knowledge is passed on by trained farmers.
13,440 people (farmers and their families) have benefited from improved livelihoods as result of increased income from training.
A trained farmer's income is increased by an average of 284%
Sustainable agriculture techniques are methods of increasing agricultural efficiency using naturally available resources.
Sustainable Agriculture techniques are largely simple yet effective. For example, one method is the construction of 'swales', which are essentially long troughs in the soil. Swales trap water when it rains, which means that instead of water being evaporated as soon as the sun comes out, it has the opportunity to soak into the soil and thus help plants to grow.
COCO has facilitated our project partners in being educated in Sustainable Agriculture techniques, so that the benefits of Sustainable Agriculture can be felt by the communities that we work in.
Firstly, Sustainable Agriculture training has been offered to members of the community, to boost crop yields and thus income. Community members can then use their increased income to enroll their children in education, provide healthcare to their family and put food on the table.
Within three years of the first two communities receiving Sustainable Agriculture training, farmers trained in the techniques had increased their income by an average of 497%.
Secondly, Sustainable Agriculture techniques have been used at COCO's Schools for Life. The use of such techniques in schools provides students with a marketable skill, given that agriculture is the main industry in Tanzania and Kenya. Furthermore, the yields from the garden provide students and teachers with nutritious food, and surplus can be sold on to generate income.
Thirdly, Sustainable Agriculture techniques were used to make COCO's Secondary School Sponsorship Programme self-sustainable. Food for Fees involves the cultivation of an area of land using Sustainable Agriculture techniques, with produce sold to the government food programme to generate income to sustain the programme.
In the longer term, it is hoped that parents and caregivers will pick up the Sustainable Agriculture techniques, increase their own income and be empowered to cover the cost of their children's education.
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Hoja Project
Hoja Project is COCO's main implementation partner in Tanzania. Alongside Hoja, COCO has been able to complete many diverse projects…
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Rose Nasimiyu
Rose lives in Bwayi in Western Kenya. Thanks to receiving sustainable agriculture training, she is now able to send her…
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Global Batwa Outreach
The Batwa are an indigenous tribe who lived in forests in western Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Under…
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Olomayani Nursery
Olomayani (or “Blessings”) is a nursery in the village of Eluwai in the predominately Maasai area of Northern Tanzania. The…
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WAMATA – People in Fight Against H
WAMATA is an organisation established by members of the community living on the shores of Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). WAMATA…
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Food for Fees SHIKUWATA
In 2016, COCO invested in developing a Food for Fees programme for SHIKUWATA, an organisation educating disabled children, who are often…
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Hoja Sustainable Agriculture Training
COCO, alongside partners The Hoja Project, has been providing sustainable agriculture training to members of the community since 2011. Sustainable agriculture training…
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What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture techniques are methods of increasing agricultural efficiency using naturally available resources. Sustainable agriculture techniques are largely simple yet…
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Damas & Condrada Fussi
Damas and Condrada are siblings and next door neighbours, living in a village called Litisha, close to Songea in southern…
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Bahati Nungu
Bahati is 45 years old and lives with her 5 children in a small village called Kitanda in Southern Tanzania. Bahati…