Department of Commercial Crops Fruits & Forestry

Background

Zanzibar has long history on spices and acquired her famous name the spice Island based on such a historical position on a world scale development of species however the major spice that had raised the Island status is cloves.

The history of the spice development in Zanzibar and the history of Zanzibar itself cannot be clearly elaborated without touching the history of clove Industry in Zanzibar.

Cloves were introduced in Zanzibar in early 1800s , it development into a major Industrial and pillar of Zanzibar economy for the last two centuries. Due to the low price and the competition at the world market , the government forced to introduced other spices including ,cadamon,Vanilla, chilies, Nutmeg Black pepper, Turmeric, ginger e.g. spice are cultivated in Zanzibar by intercropping with other spices e.g. cloves field intercropped with vanilla on cardamom.

Service and support

In Zanzibar for number of years the government has put emphasis on involving the community in the production of spice in the way of ensuring the sustainable production of the spice including vanilla. Not only that involvement aimed to increasing the awareness and skill of community on how they can handle the vanilla and other spice in creasing the production and there daily income.

Meeting with the groups
Several training are provided to farmer s, starting with group meeting in each targeted area and practice the farming . These training might be formal or informal and in this way they are benefited.

Production and distribution of seedling
Seedlings are raised in the Government nurseries and farmers are free to buy these seedlings, either they can buy in the individual nurseries in their areas, before these seedlings were provided free of charges. These were the effort of encouraging and understanding on the importance of growing these crops.

Study tours
Some farmers who showed the interest of sustaining the farming and they lack exposure to practical exercise of growing and tending, they are taken to other areas where other farmers has been succeeded by gaining skills through study tours and field visits has been conducted in different areas to learn more by seeing. These tours can be conducted in and outside the Zanzibar Islands.

Field visits
In other side Extension workers then do support on the farmers by encouraging them on how best they can grow their spices through regular visits to their field and do advice them on how to handle problems that are commonly occurs on the crops.

Training to the formed group
They can also conducted training in the District level, so as to allow farmers to gain more skill for better productivity at the same time these training provide an opportunity for the farmer of different areas to meet and exchange their views in increasing of productivities and market situation.

Knowledge through demonstration plots
Sometimes farmers also get more knowledge by learning through their own demonstration plots or Government plots.

At the moment there are about 22 Vanilla’s farmers who has been succeeded well in the production of Vanilla, and are among the pilot areas representing the Community shambas.They are mainly situated in the Central District and North District where the weather and soil condition are favorable for production of various spices including Vanilla.

The aim of the Department is to provide more awareness and skill to Community so as to increase the number of Vanilla farmer and other spices producers in different District of Zanzibar where the weather and soil type are resemble.

Community afforestation

Forestation awareness.
-We use Mass media e.g. Radio, TV, Pamphlet, Posters, Demonstrations e.t.c
We conduct discussion with villager’s e/g meetings, roll play and school competition

Small scale nurseries.
Establishment of community small scale nurseries.

Agroforesty activities.
Different agroforestry practices are conducted at community level such as inter cropping, fodder bank, alley cropping, wood lots plantation e.t.c.

Local Forest Management.
We support villager on planning the use of their Nature Resources in sustainable manner.
In order to perform these activities we use to do following in order know the success or failure of these activities:-
Follow up and monitoring of the activities plan.
Cross visiting.
Evaluation.

Enterprise activities

The Component has 4 sub unit, these are:

Saving and Credit and SPM training (selection planning and management).
On – farm activities.
Beekeeping.
Hand crafts.

The Component has a great support to community on:

Mobilization of new formed groups.
Training to the formed groups
Cross visit after training.
Monitoring of the performers.
Formation of community contact person.
Meetings with the groups and community contact person.
Formation of beekeepers Organization. (ZABA).
Evaluation of the activities.