Following the positive results achieved and participant interest identified in project #2910, Alongside Hope and the Church World Service (CWS) are implementing a second agriculture and livelihoods project with nutritional activities in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in the Kigoma region of Tanzania.
Kigoma Region has hosted refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 1972. As one of the poorest regions in the country, the district struggles to attract investment in industry or other job-producing sectors. As such, most refugees survive on rations and non-food items provided by humanitarian agencies, while some also practice skilled work or manual labour on local farms.
The government of Tanzania has recently implemented restrictions on their movement, however, which has led to an increase of malnutrition amongst young children who comprise nearly 60% of the refugee and asylum-seeking population. Competition with host communities for resources has exacerbated deforestation, soil quality, and water scarcity, in turn affecting local ecosystems, and sometimes leading to conflicts and social unrest.
The main goal of the project is to improve food and nutrition security of 900 Congolese refugee households (5,986 people) through training, inputs, and extension services to promote sustainable vegetable farming. The focus on vegetables is primarily for household consumption and secondarily for sale of any surplus.
Training on vegetable production will include seed gender equity will also be included. A nutrition-sensitive agricultural approach will be used to ensure people have access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food. Extension services will be delivered by CWS staff and extension workers through a network of lead farmers who will disseminate knowledge and provide technical assistance to farmer groups. An initial 500 households will participate in the first year and an additional 400 will join in the second year. Follow-up support will be provided to all 900 in the final year.