TZN_Swahele Kingazi becoming a professional potatoes producer_2013

M. Kingazi started to grow potatoes whilst in Lushoto, in 1988, without any technical knowledge. He used to plant the potatoes in an unorganized way, and though the land was fertile, he added farm manure as a fertilizer. He got little yield and... More

M. Kingazi started to grow potatoes whilst in Lushoto, in 1988, without any technical knowledge. He used to plant the potatoes in an unorganized way, and though the land was fertile, he added farm manure as a fertilizer. He got little yield and considered his production as subsistence farming. In 1994, he heard that there was some good land in Kilimanjaro region for producing carots and potatoes. As land was getting scarce in Lushoto because of high population density, he decided to move with his family to settle where he lives now. He now owns a small farm gathering not more than one acre. Growing maize, beans and vegetables for family consumption, he considers potatoes as a necessary cash crop for paying school fees and other family expenses. He also grows poultry (around 10) and has also six goats. He is growing his potatoes in the forest area, where he rents a plot of 1600m². Before learning from Fert, he did not manage a good husbandry; he wa Less