Fakhi Juma Fakhi is among less than ten vegetable growers in Tongoni ward in Tanga Cityl that endured vegetable growing when it was least attractive to most farmers in the sub urbans.   Thanks to his engagement with the Inclu-cities project, implemented by Enabel Tanzania, with funding from the European Union, his fortune and future is set on a bright path.  

“I was growing watermelons before this project, but my productivity was low, just four to five tons per acre. But, now I and other farmers in Tongoni ward range between 18 to 15 tons per acre,” says Fakhi.    

The Urban Challenge
Tanga, has arable land and is strategically placed near vegetable hungry markets—Dar es Salaam, Northern zone towns and neighboring Kenya. But, rain seasonality, lack of uncoordinated marketing, high input costs, and weak linkages held off farmers from growing vegetable commercially.   Enabel Tanzania intervened through the EU funded INCLU-CITIES project (2024–2026), to support a sustainable and economically viable food system in Tanga. The project aims to stimulate job creation and economic welfare by providing entrepreneurs with the tools needed to thrive.  

Turning a dislike to a favorite
INCLUCITIES, working through RIKOLTO, collaborated with Tanga municipal, in Tanga sustainable food programme. RIKOLTO rolled out the agribusiness Cluster (ABC) model that connected farmers, agribusiness SMEs, service providers, financial institutions, government agencies, and other stakeholders to jointly improve productivity, market access, value addition, and competitiveness in a specific value chain. Fakhi, was one five lead farmers empowered to facilitate farmers access to business development services, input supply linkages, financial literacy, and market connections.  

As a Coach Fakhi got training and a solar powered pump for his bore hole. He organized more than 80 farmers in groups and invited agri-input companies that brought improved seeds, pesticides technologies and knowledge to grow vegetables. Priority crops to growers in Tongoni ward are leafy vegetables, tomato and watermelon. With farmers collaborating as production block, they have been able to negotiate for assured buyers in Zanzibar, Tanga and Dar es Salaam.  

The solar powered pump lowered Fakhi’s operational cost for irrigation by 80 percent.
Knowledge in permaculture—mixed planting to organically suppress pests,  and he has used his skills to develop a business plan and, has influenced more than 70 farmers in Tongoni.
He facilitated:

•  successfully negotiations with the water melons buyer in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam
•  a sale contract with another pepper buyer from Bagamoyo
•  access to finance for farmers      

Scaling for the Future While barely ten farmers grew vegetable two years ago, today, more than 80 farmers invest their money and time to grow vegetable in Tongoni ward. Together they form a block that negotiates supply deals with their combined capacity. For instance a weekly order for 5 tons of watermelons to a buyer in Dar es Salaam was shared among them.   Farmers in Tongoni ward, are among the beneficiaries of Tzs 110m (USD 42,348) worthy of loans from commercial banks and the City of Tanga small business loan window.   As a result of engagement with the project, Fakhi enjoys a four-fold increase in water melon yield from 4 tons to maximus of 25 tons per acre, he and his fellow farmers in Tongoni have an assurance of supplying large buyers because of augmenting capacity and coordinated marketing.   Mindset change—now vegetable growing is considered a commercial undertaking-from less than 10, now more than 80 growers invest in vegetable farming. Some have managed to save some money and fitted their boreholes with solar pumps, replacing expensive diesel pumps.   ends

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