Empowering and equipping small-holder farmers and communities with the means to achieve local food and economic security through sisal production

1. Outreach Tanzania
Achieving Local Food Security through Establishment of an Integrated
Agricultural Model with Sisal (Agave sisalensis), Food Crops & Livestock in
Tanzania
▪ Climate stress and limited access to extension services form
barriers to Tanzanian smallholder farmers accomplishing food
security and value added livelihoods
▪ Through a livelihoods approach communities can reduce food
insecurity and improve economic stability through the
incorporation of sustainable sisal production into current
smallholder agricultural models
▪ Sisal intercropped with local food crops and incorporated into
smallholder integrated crop-livestock operations provides
▪ Sustainable Systems (ruminant feed , organic fertilizer, biogas production)
▪ Increased Productivity of Food Crops & Livestock
▪ Opens Market Opportunities

2. Outreach Tanzania
Action Plan
Initial Goal: Develop a model for incorporating sisal
production into small holder agricultural systems
Objectives:
▪ Increase capacity of small-holder farmers to enhance yields
and improve soil quality
▪ Provide collaborative research based training on crop
management to smallholder farmers
Outputs:
▪ Enhanced food security and agricultural resilience to climate
stress
▪ Trained local smallholder farmers in incorporation of sisal
production into agricultural models

3. Outreach Tanzania
Action Plan
Long-term Goal: Increase opportunities for economic
development and improve food security for rural
communities
Objectives:
 Develop a model for value-added post harvest production at the

community level
Create a protocol for best practices for integrated sisal management
and post-harvest utilization of fiber and residues
Outputs:


Community owned sisal processing facilities
Empowered women with access to training and market
opportunities

4. Outreach Tanzania
Activities
▪ Phase 1 (June-September 2014 dry season)
▪ Situational analysis & needs assessment with local farmers &
pertinent stakeholders
▪ Establish partnerships with local community and women’s
groups
▪ Start development of sisal residue protocol with active
participation of farmers
▪ Phase 2 (October 2014-May 2015-wet season)
▪ Protocol development through pilot projects and local farm
trials
▪ Initiate data collection on impacts of sisal intercropping system
on soil quality and plant productivity
▪ Set up micro-financing and training workshops for smallholder
farmers and community stakeholders

5. Outreach Tanzania
Business Model
Key Partners
Key Activities
•Outreach Inc.
• Training programs
•Sokoine University
• Demonstration farms
and pilot projects
Value
Proposition
Improve food security of
smallholder farmers
Customer
Relationships
• Outreach Tanzania
extension
•Tanzanian Sisal
Industry/Processors
•UNIDO & Common
Fund for Commodities
Increase climate resilience
of tropical semi-arid
agriculture
• Donor base
Cost Structure
Channels
• Shallom
demonstration farm
Key Resources
• Demonstration farm
Pilot new methods for
integrating sisal into
agricultural models
• Telecommunication
services and mobile
training programs
Revenue Streams
• Operation of demonstrations
• Operation of training program
• Salaries for extension staff
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• Business partners
• Smallholder farmers
in tropical semi-arid
environments
•Shallom Farm
• Networking with
community groups
Customer
Segments
Sisal Grants
Fiber
Public and
Private
Partnerships

6. Developing Resilience in Semi-arid Tropical Agricultural Systems:
Transitioning Sisal Production From Plantation to Smallholder Integrated Crop &
Livestock Systems
▪ Sisal is a tropical drought tolerant plant traditionally used for fiber production and
valuable for smallholder integrated crop-livestock production
▪ Fiber from leaves is used in many emerging global markets
▪ Sisal can act as an “insurance crop” when other crops fail in droughts
▪ Residue left from fiber removal can be used as a supplement feed during periods of drought
▪ Large, dense root systems potentially increase soil structure and increase soil water
availability
▪ Compared to monocultures intercropping sisal rows may improve plant yield by 40% (Mucheru-Munu 2010)
Smallholder sisal value chain
Production
Smallholder
Sisal Producers
Processing &
Products
Local Sisal
Processors
Markets
Sisal
Fiber
Sisal
Residue
Regional
Markets
Local
markets
Local
Markets
Consumption
International
Fiber Buyers
Local Skilled
Artisans
Livestock & Biogas
Producers
Crop production
(Fertilizer)

7. Sisal Production on Integrated Crop-livestock
Smallholder Farms
Crop
Fertilizer
Livestock feed
during drought
Biogas
production
Utilization of Sisal Plant
Sisal
Residue
Local Sisal
processors
Sisal
fiber
Sale of Sisal
Fiber in Local
and Global
Markets
Sisal
Intercropped sisal
production by
smallholder farmers
One hectare scale model for smallholder integrated crop-livestock system with intercropped
sisal

8. Business Model for Sisal Production in Smallholder
Integrated Crop-livestock Semi-arid Agricultural Systems
Key Activities
Key Partners
• Outreach Tanzania
extension staff
• Community sisal
processers
• Planting and harvesting
• Processing sisal leaves
• Drying and storing sisal
residue
• Selling or feeding
livestock sisal residue
• Sisal fiber and
residue market
Value
Proposition
Sustainably
produced fiber
Customer
Segments
• Local and global fiber
• Community skilled
markets
artisans
• Residue processers
• Sisal processers
• Ruminant livestock
producers
Channels
Key Resources
• Sisal cultivars
• Labor
• Tanzanian Planters • Processing equipment
• Residue storage capacity
and Agriculture
Workers Association • Intercrop inputs
Customer
Relationships
Stored
ruminant feed
• Community sisal coops and private
buyers
• Regional fiber
markets
Revenue Streams
Marketing
sisal fiber &
products
Increased
crop yields
Cost Structure
• Sisal decortication
• Labor
• Sisal bulbils
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Sisal residue
sales
Livestock
production

9. Log Frame Analysis for Outreach Tanzania
Incorporating Sisal into Tropical Semi-Arid Agricultural Models
Objectives
Indicators
Means of verification
Goal: Reduce food insecurity by improving economic Increase in food secure communities and
stability through the incorporation of sustainable
regional economic development &
sisal production into current small-holder operations diversified farm production
Surveys, Interviews, Impact
Assessments
Objective 1: Increase the capacity of small-holder
farmers to enhance yields and improve soil quality
Output
Multiple Intercropping Systems
 Improved soil quality
Trained local small holder farmers in intercropping
production.
Activities
Divide farm into one hectare test plots and
establish crops.
Run soil quality tests, collect data, and analyze
Develop methodology and training program.
Improved soil quality, fertility and
production
Yield of sisal and intercrop plants
Change in soil quality parameters
trained small-holder farmers in the
Soil Tests, Yield Analysis
Inputs/resources
 Sisal bulbils, seeds for maize, sorghum,
chickpeas, and peanuts
Soil probes, access to soil testing facility
Computers, printers, awareness-raising
materials, translators
Healthy ruminant production and nutrient
access
Costs & Sources
Use plots at Shallom Farm.
Researchers from University will
conduct soil testing and data
collection.
Objective 2: To establish a sisal residue feeding
program for ruminant production.
Output
Appropriate sisal residue feeding protocols
determined
Determine the digestibility and nutrient content of
sisal residue
Activities
 Conduct pilot on 30 yearling cattle and determine
growth rate, weight gain, etc
 Conduct compositional analysis on sisal residue
Change in average daily gain
Kg gain/ kg feed
Available nutrients in sisal residue
Data will be collected by partners
from Sokoine University
Surveys and impact assessments
Animal Health Assessment, Forage
Quality & Residue Compositional
Analysis
Data collected by staff from
Outreach Tanzania and Sokoine
University
Inputs/ Resources
Costs & sources
 30 yearling cattle and scales
Purchase local cattle
Laboratory, feed specialists & researchers Purchase/ borrow scales
Researchers and laboratory from

10. Objectives
Indicators
Objective 3: Develop a model for value added post
harvest production at the community level
Output
Community owned and operated sisal processing
and sisal residue drying and storage facilities
Local market analysis to assess opportunities for
local producers.
Established women’s groups for rope making and
handicraft production
Activities
Purchase equipment and train community
members to construct residue processing facilities
Conduct market analysis and promote market
access through policy
Establish and train local community women’s
groups in value added production
Capability of community based women’s
and farmer’s groups to process sisal leaves
 Use of the sisal processing and residue
drying and storage facilities
Sisal marketing opportunities available in
the local market
Enhanced local capacity utilization
Women’s groups trained in value added
sisal production (handcrafts) etc.
Inputs/Resources
Acquire equipment construct drying and
storage facilities
Partner with local groups to allow access
to market information
 Work with partners and local artisans to
train and empower women’s groups
Objective 4: Develop a global sustainable sisal
model applicable for small-holder farmers &
communities in agricultural systems
Outputs
Provide scenario methodology & innovation
platforms concerning incorporation of sisal
production into agricultural models for organizations
Means of verification
Surveys, Field Visits, Market Data
Access to training programs, facilitators,
and versatility of sisal model
Data collected by surveys and field
visits
Cost-benefit analysis
Costs & sources
Resource Inputs will be acquired
through public and private
partnerships.
Surveys, Livelihood Assessments,
Successful Public-Private
Partnerships, and Field Visits
Effectiveness of training programs
Impact assessments, case studies,
Growth of integrated sisal production
and pilot projects will be used to
Utilization and availability of summarized create manuals
sisal production and management data
Activities
Inputs/Resources
Costs/Sources
Promote R&D in processing technologies
Materials needed for manuals, literature, Partners from US Agricultural
Create manuals with production, sustainability, and research collaborators
Universities (Nebraska, Iowa State)
market information
and in country partners will provide
researchers, literature, etc.