By Martin Majambele, Radegunda Kessy, Atupokile Mwakatwila & Justus Ochieng 

Women and young smallholder farmers often shoulder the heaviest burdens of labour, especially during harvest season when they are required to thresh crops manually. At the same time, they face significant challenges in adopting mechanized technologies that could alleviate their workload and offer potential to improve their time management, reduce physical labor, and create opportunities for enterprise development or alternative farm-based income. However, their prospects for employment and economic advancement are further constrained by limited rural enterprise opportunities, a lack of entrepreneurial skills, and restricted access to financing for starting new businesses.

Recognizing this, the Alliance Bioversity International & CIAT under Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA-Africa) programme, and Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI) have continued with their efforts to raise awareness about the Multi-crop Thresher (MCT) machines, after the launch of the initiative in the Singida region in July 2024. Developed by local fabricator Imara Technology Limited (Imara Tech) to address key postharvest challenges and promote gender inclusivity, the machines can thresh and clean over nine crops, including maize, common beans, sorghum, pigeon peas, sunflower, soybeans, finger millet, cowpeas, lablab, and green grams, 40 times faster than manual methods – offering a significant advantage to smallholder farmers. This is part of the Scaling Multi-Crop Threshing Machine for Women and Youth Empowerment project in Tanzania initiative, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT).

During a week-long campaign in August 2024, the initiative’s implementing partners, together with Rikolto and Briten, travelled to the Ruvuma region for further sensitizations. Local government authorities were first engaged about the initiative, who later supported community engagements in the Songea and Namtumbo Districts. Special sessions were held for women, youth, men, and entrepreneurs, featuring hands-on demonstrations of the MCT machine. These sessions also explained the qualifications and selection process for beneficiaries. To encourage wider adoption, MCTs were offered to qualified individuals at a 50% subsidy, with women and youth making up 80% of the beneficiaries. Eligible participants needed to meet criteria such as official registration, a bank account, and a commitment to cover the remaining 50% of the MCT cost.

The campaign also emphasized the need for bridging the gap between technology developers and local farmers, as empowering women and youth with this technology will transform their roles in agriculture, according to The Alliance’s Research Associate, Radegunda Kessy.  She highlighted: “This empowerment will not only improve quality but also enable them to become entrepreneurs within their communities. We are committed to continuing this work and ensuring that these technologies benefit many farmers.”

Sensitization meeting in progress at Peramiho B village in Songea district – Photo by Martin Majambele

Immediately after the sensitization sessions, the Economic Development group from Matetereka village in Madaba—comprising 40 women and 5 men—acquired the MCT machine to improve their postharvest operations and generate income by offering threshing services to other community members. “We have been fascinated by the MCT’s ability to thresh and winnow a wide variety of crops. We used to thresh and winnow our farm produce manually. This will go a long in doing our tasks easily,” said Jessica Mlelwa, the group’s Chairperson.

During the handover ceremony of the machine to the group, Emmanuel Mwainyekule, representing the Head of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries at Madaba District Council, expressed strong support for the initiative, stating, “This machine marks a major advancement in our agricultural practices, helping farmers improve efficiency and yield quality.”

Mwainyekule (left) handing over the MCT Machine to the Economic Development group from Matetereka village – Photo by Martin Majambele

The group also received practical lessons from Imara Tech on operating, servicing, and maintaining the MCTs. Despite receiving the machine late in the harvesting season, the grouping threshed 24 tons of maize and beans for over 30 farmers and raised awareness among 300 farmers in Materereka village and nearby areas, with more services expected in upcoming seasons.

Between July and October 2024, over 6,800 beneficiaries from farming communities across Tanzania were reached directly and indirectly through the initiatives, with 70 accessing the new MCT machines. This achievement has been supported by development partners such as Nafaka Kilimo, Farm Africa, Agriculture Market Development Fund (AMDT), Centre for Behaviour Change and Communication (CBCC) and local governments. The initiatives also involved off-takers, who supported farmers with capacity building and market access. “This is just the beginning,” said Happiness Rwekaza, a representative from Rikolto. “We look forward to the long-term benefits this project will bring to Tanzania’s agriculture.”

The initiative also used local radio to raise awareness about the Multi-Crop Thresher (MCT) and its benefits for farmers. For more insights on how this innovation is transforming agriculture in Tanzania, tune in here.