Farmers in Mkoka Village, Kongwa District, and Seluka Village, Mpwapwa District in the Dodoma region can now cultivate crops year-round, thanks to a newly secured permanent water supply for irrigation.

Lameck Benego, Secretary of the Mkoka Farmers Irrigation Group, expressed gratitude to the government and private sector for addressing the long-standing water challenges. Speaking to reporters during a visit to the villages, he acknowledged the Agricultural Markets Development Trust (AMDT) and its partners for financing a solar-powered water pump in Mkoka village.

“We appreciate AMDT and their partners for providing us with a solar pump, which now allows us to irrigate our crops throughout the year,” said Benego.

The AMDT has installed a 150-meter borehole equipped with a hybrid solar water pump capable of producing 15,000 liters of water, significantly enhancing the community's irrigation capabilities.

Beyond irrigation, the installation of the solar pump has reduced water-related conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in the area. Benego explained that pastoralists now use a nearby river for their livestock, while farmers rely on the borehole for irrigation.

Before the project, farmers had to walk over two hours to fetch water. With the new system in place, they have witnessed a marked improvement in crop yields. For example, sunflower harvests from one acre have increased from 2-3 bags to 5-8 bags.

During the last season, the group harvested 5.6 metric tons (MT) of high-quality sunflower seeds, selling 4.5 MT for a total of 11.4m/- million. As a result, the group expanded their farming area from 25 acres to 41 acres this year.

However, Benego emphasized the ongoing need for better access to seeds. “We face a significant shortage of various seeds in our village. We urge the government and private sector to help us improve seed availability to further enhance our livelihoods through irrigation,” he said.

Pendo Lameck, Chairperson of the Association of Irrigation Farmers (UUSE) in Seluka village, also expressed her gratitude to AMDT and Beula Seeds Company for providing a borehole. She called for more wells to support irrigation, noting that although the village has acquired 99 acres of land, only 10 acres are under cultivation due to water scarcity.

“We are facing an acute shortage of water in our village. If we can have at least three more drilled wells, it would significantly improve our ability to conduct irrigation,” said Lameck.

Farmers in Seluka have started planting new crops, including pigeon peas and mung beans, due to the availability of reliable markets.

Beula Seeds Company representative Ernei Kihwele assured farmers that they have access to quality seeds and promised to increase the availability of pigeon pea and mung bean seeds in Mpwapwa and Kondoa districts for the next planting season.