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OFM (Organization Development for Food Security and Production for Market) is a program that has been introduced into 20 villages in the Coast
and Dar es Salaam Regions by the Caritas-DSM staff:This program is developed in 3 stages:
- Animation – training farmers, i.e., to the aims of the program, to the conditions the program offers. After fulfilling conditions, groups are formed and they write a constitution (each village group).
- Practical work in the fields
- Monitoring
- Organize village leaders meetings (introduce program)
- Conduct training
Recruitment
takes place after the program has been introduced to the village leadership. They organize their people, talk with the farmers, and those interested
join the program. Husbands and wives are encouraged to join together, as well as widows, and single mothers. Participants must have their own land,
at least more than 2 acres. Each family then makes a family plan.1) WOMEN AND CHILDREN:
Women and children above 18 years of age individually can now own land themselves. They have written documents from the Village Government and Divisional secretary. Prior to this only men could only land. Individuals, i.e., men, women and children are saving money, for long periods of more than a year, from garden production for a special goal:
- Building low costing houses
- Buying goats/cattle
- Contributing for animal medicine
- Buying medicine for children, etc.
- are seriously working the fields unlike when they did not own land
- are encouraging their children, both male and female, to work together because they have a say in the production.
- are being divorced less frequently, the rate has dropped 30%
- are participating and fully sharing in meetings
3) 4 VTCs (Village Training Centers built and established under VODP)
Owned by the farmers’ grassroots organizations will continue to act as Centers for Animal Loan Scheme distribution, collections of crops for marketing, training, banking and meetings.
4) ANIMAL LOAN SCHEME:
- get an incalf heifer/goat; pay an incalf heifer/goat
- animal keepers receive animal husbandry training as well as Para-vet training for one or two from each village who will take care of VET KIT
Malnutrition rate is declining because children and pregnant mothers are drinking milk from their animals. Eating garden products is also contributing to better health.
In the Coast Region 15 villages are participating and in the Dar es Salaam Region
5 villages are participants. 75% of all Tanzanians are farmers but 90% of the Coast Region population farm. Farmers generated more than 80% of the income of the Region. In 1994 the yearly per capita income amounted to US$41, thus the Coast Region ranks lowest among the 25 regions of the mainland. The Coast Region’s contribution to the GNP was 1%.
Village meetings and Divisional meetings take place to evaluate, solve problems and adjust the family plan monthly. There is also a Steering Committee scheduled to meet after 3 months to evaluate the plans from each village from which the Divisional Plan is made.
The program began in 1999 when the groundwork was done. The program is the outgrowth of the VODP program and the instructors are from the villages involved in the VODP program. VODP began in 1993 and continued until OFM began in 1999.
6) AGRICULTURE:
- OFM involves food production: maize, beans and groundnuts (gardening produces onions, papaya, and spinach
- Both agriculture and gardening are based on organic farming from the animal product (manure, compost) rather than inorganic farming (chemical fertilizers)
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