admin | March 14, 2025
News Brief
Mwajuma Rashid Njau and Muma Rajab are small-scale farmers in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, facing challenges like high temperatures, limited rainfall, and unpredictable pest outbreaks, all exacerbated by climate change. With guidance from the Kiazi Bora app, these women now have access to step-by-step instructions for growing orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. Developed by SEE Africa, the app has helped over 300 women improve their harvests and incomes. Mrs. Mwajuma, who never finished school, refers to it as her "teacher," crediting it for equipping her with new skills that have boosted her earnings and ensured her children’s education.
Mwajuma Rashid Njau and Muma Rajab are small-scale farmers in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Like many farmers in the region, they face challenges such as high temperatures, limited rainfall, and unpredictable pest outbreaks due to climate change. To overcome these difficulties, they use the Kiazi Bora app, a digital tool designed to help small-scale farmers grow nutritious orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, also known as OFSP.
Kiazi Bora, which means “quality potatoes” in Swahili, provides farmers with simple, step-by-step instructions on planting, pest control, and crop management. The app is designed for users with limited formal education and features AI voice technology in regional dialects. It was developed by SEE Africa, a non-profit organization that ensures the app reflects linguistic diversity through a crowd-sourced model. Em Lewis-Jong, director of voice programming at SEE Africa, says this approach makes the app more inclusive and user-friendly.
The app has helped more than 300 women in Tanzania improve their farming practices, manage pests, and understand the nutritional benefits of OFSP. Learning in their first language has enhanced their ability to apply new techniques. Mrs. Lewis-Jong hopes to expand the app to include more African languages in the future.
Mrs. Njau and Mrs. Rajab have enhanced their farming skills, improving soil health, optimizing planting schedules, and effectively handling pest outbreaks. Mrs. Njau, who dropped out of school, calls the app her “teacher.” She says, “I never completed school, but this app has taught me everything about farming.”
Beyond farming, the app has introduced them to processing sweet potatoes into flour and pastries, increasing their market value. Mrs. Rajab says, “I didn’t know you could make flour from sweet potatoes or that it sells for more money. Now, I have customers who buy it because it lasts longer.”
Within a year, their income rose from zero to $127 US per month, enabling them to support their families and reinvest in their farms. Mrs. Njau says, “With this money, I’ve sent my children to school and saved for emergencies.”
Mrs. Rajab introduced the app to her sister, who is now growing OFSP and earning money from selling flour. Both women advocate for expanding Kiazi Bora beyond OFSP to include other crops, enhancing food security and income streams. Mrs. Rajab says, “Women in rural areas need this technology. It helps us feed our families and earn better incomes.”
This story is based on an article written by Kizito Makoye for Interpress News Service, titled “ How an App Transformed Farming for Rural Tanzanian Women ” To read the full story, go to: https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/12/how-an-app-transformed-farming-for-rural-tanzanian-women/#google_vignette
Photo: Women in Kilema village harvest orange sweet potatoes. Credit: Kizito Makoye/IPS