"First, I would like to congratulate you for being selected to participate in this important task among many students at our university, you must understand that this work is being done for the benefit of our farmers and livestock keepers and the booklets you will develop are expected to help address various challenges they face and will be distributed through multiple channels, including the MKULIMA LIBRARY, which is housed in the Sokoine National Agricultural Library," explained Dr. Nyinondi.

The AGRISPARK project leader further stated that after the training, the trainees would have the opportunity to visit various project areas, including Mvomero District, Morogoro Municipality, and Morogoro Rural District, where they will interact with farmers in real-life settings to gather essential information related to the booklets they are preparing.

Additionally, Dr. Nyinondi emphasized the importance of several key aspects when engaging with farmers in rural areas to take a note on, proper use of the Swahili language without mixing it with English during conversations, appropriate dress code and adherence to the ethics and cultural values of the respective communities and recognizing that farmers have extensive experience and possess valuable knowledge that students may not be aware of, rather than assuming they know less.

On his part, Dr. Nicholaus Mwalukasa, the Co-Principal Investigator of the AGRISPARK project, mentioned that the training will cover various topics to equip participants with the necessary skills for the task include the value chain of different crops, best agricultural practices, market dynamics, selection of high-quality seeds, techniques for compiling and structuring the booklets.

"This training is essential before you embark on the major task ahead of you, we believe that after this training you will understand the broad scope of this project and its expectations, enabling you to deliver quality work that will significantly benefit our farmers and the nation as a whole," Dr. Mwalukasa explained.

Dr. Nicholaus Mwalukasa, Co-Principal Investigator of the AGRISPARK project, addressing the participants during the training’s opening session.

He further explained that this initiative is part of the project’s broader objective of applying participatory methods to enhance agricultural knowledge and technology transfer through well-structured booklets.

Speaking on behalf of her fellow participants, Hawa Twaibu assured the project leaders and SUA that they would work diligently to meet the project’s objectives effectively and within the set timeframe.

"We are grateful to the AGRISPARK project and the university for giving us this opportunity to engage in such important work for Tanzanian farmers we believe that this experience will provide us with valuable skills in executing similar projects in the future, as well as in packaging and disseminating agricultural knowledge to farmers and other stakeholders," said Hawa Twaibu.

The AGRISPARK project was officially launched at the end of 2024 by Dr. Geofrey Karugila, the Dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CoNAS), on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Raphael Chibunda. The project is funded by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania through SUA, as part of the university’s vision to support young researchers by allocating internal funds for research aimed at solving societal and national challenges.

Training participants attentively following the opening remarks