Agrifood Business Incubator 2020, Arusha, Tanzania
Introduction:
The food and agriculture sector is particularly significant for economic growth in Tanzania, where about 70% of the population is engaged in it. The sector is responsible for feeding the country and employing hundreds of Tanzanians. However, unless we transform the food and agricultural value chain, severe consequences for global health, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability will arise.
The food and agriculture sector faces complex and interdisciplinary challenges, such as:
(i) Low productivity and limited market access for smallholder farmers.
(ii) Food waste and spoilage.
(iii) Global food security.
(iv) Climate change resilience.
(v) Health and nutrition.
At Shamba Box we believe that entrepreneurs and Innovators are best positioned to make a difference in this sector by working with smallholder farmers to improve their productivity and creating market linkages between farmers and large buyers at both national and international levels.
About the Agrifood Business Incubator:
Shamba Box designed and initiated the AgriFood Business Incubator, a project series that aims to identify and develop sustainable AgriFood business opportunities in Tanzania. The first phase of the project took place from March 11th to 14th, 2020, in Arusha, Tanzania. The project invited 55 participants, comprising 30 women and 25 men, from Arusha, Moshi, and Manyara who are interested in AgriFood Business, including agronomists, innovators, entrepreneurs, nutritionists, business developers, farmers, engineers, and many others.
Agrifood Business Incubator took participants through a 4-day incubator-style workshop that taught them how to apply Design Thinking, Lean Startup methodologies, and disciplined entrepreneurship through rigorous evidence-based, action-oriented learning.
Through classwork, site visits, and roundtable discussions, workshop participants learned how to identify AgriFood business opportunities, interact with potential customers, and develop sustainable and environmentally sound ventures.
The AgriFood Business Incubator has focused on the food and agricultural sector, and participants have generated many ideas to address challenges facing the industry. However, our team has selected twenty (20) ideas for a specific program, a mentorship program, to be launched within a short time to ensure that these ideas are implemented.
We would like to extend warm thanks to the World Food Programme Tanzania for sponsoring the “Agrifood Business Incubator” in Arusha, Tanzania.
We would like to thank all facilitators, presenters, speakers, and trainers, including Mr. Willbroad who represented the World Food Programme (WFP) and took his time to present on the greatest challenges in the food and agriculture sector in the local context. He defined the meaning of a “smallholder farmer” in the local context. On the other hand, Mr. Willbroad shared many challenges and opportunities where social enterprises and social entrepreneurs can improve the productivity of smallholder farmers and create market linkages between farmers and buyers in the local context.
We have received inspiring feedback and comments regarding the Agrifood Business Incubator from all the participants who participated in the program. In the future, we aim to organize more programs of this kind, and we are hopeful that our association with partners and sponsors will grow stronger with time. We will certainly be happy to have your support in our future endeavors.
Thank you so much..!!
