Ngara, TZ – Poor bean harvest causes search for a bean supply solution – 29 Jun 2022

The Ngara district experienced a lower than expected harvest this summer due to lack of rain affecting the flowering phase of the bean plants. This unpredictable abnormal weather caused many farmers to have low harvests and some harvested no beans at all.

The local social enterprise SODAT is very concerned about the impact of the poor harvest on the supply of beans for the primary school children’s breakfast. Consequently, SODAT’s manager David has been discussing increasing banana growing at the schools in order to sell bananas and buy beans with the sales revenue. SODAT is offering to mentor and assist with increasing banana production, marketing the bananas, book keeping for the sales revenue, and buying the beans. This would assist with closing the beans supply gap at a reasonable cost.

SODAT hopes that bartering bananas for beans will assist the schools to achieve long term sustainability for serving daily breakfast, even when the parents’ harvests are so poor they cannot contribute to their children’s school breakfast.

School - TZ Kabalenzi Primary, School - TZ Mukibogoye Primary, School - TZ Mukirehe Primary