Morogoro:
On February 17, 2025, the Mkuyuni Village in Morogoro District Council celebrated the launch of the Soma na Karafuu (“Learn with Cloves”) initiative. This innovative and transformative intervention combines educational and economic empowerment through agriculture while restoring the lost biodiversity in the Uluguru Mountains in the Morogoro region. Distinguished guests included Hon. Adam Malima, Regional Commissioner; Hon. David Silinde, Deputy Minister of Agriculture; and Hon. Deo Mwanyika, MP and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industries, Trade, Agriculture, and Cooperatives.
This event marked a strategic partnership within the SAGCOT Centre Spice Value Chain. During it, 8,110 clove seedlings—valued at over 26 million Tanzanian shillings—were distributed to 811 Form One students across five secondary schools in the wards of Kinole, Mkuyuni, Tawa, Kiroka, and Matombo.
The initiative aims to alleviate financial barriers to education by promoting sustainable clove cultivation, which promises substantial economic returns for students and their families when they reach Form Four. At that stage, students may either continue to Form Five, pursue middle college, or transition into village life. Therefore, the initiatives assure those students to be free from any financial dependency to parents/guardians.
Regional Commissioner Hon. Adam Malima emphasized the importance of supporting clove farmers by eliminating middlemen and establishing direct trade connections with certified buyers. Hon. David Silinde discussed the government’s plan to regulate spice crop pricing, ensuring fair compensation for farmers. Hon. Deo Mwanyika highlighted the program’s potential to significantly enhance students’ income prospects and commended further for the scale-up of this initiative countrywide.
Dr. Mussa Ali Mussa, Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), noted the campaign’s broader impact on family income gain and regional development. Pascal Petro Gabriel, a participating student, expressed his enthusiasm for the support it provides for his education and future livelihood.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hon. David Silinde, remarked on the priority given to spice crops under the BBT program, acknowledging their strategic importance in the National Development Vision 2050. Dr Hussein Mohamed Omar, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Agriculture, also recognized the strategic relevance of spice crops like cloves in achieving long-term national development goals. The ministry promised to keep providing budgetary allocation for spices because the Morogoro region is among the big four regions for food baskets but also for export crops, particularly spices.
John Nakei, Acting Head of Cluster Development at SAGCOT Centre, stressed the campaign’s strategic importance, emphasizing its role in educational development and advancements in clove farming. “This initiative is part of a broader effort to focus on spice crops in the Morogoro region, aiming for transformative change as agreed in the Spice Strategic partnership established in 2024 under the chairship of Dr. Musa Ali Musa” he added. He further commented that the Office of the Regional Commissioner of Morogoro has been implementing strategies to conserve the environment and improve the local economy through spice farming, particularly cloves. Launching the Jisomeshe na Mkarafuu campaign represents a step toward more effectively achieving these goals in partnership with various stakeholders.
