Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania in Morogoro, Tanzania works with small scale organic farmers by connecting them to the greater formal supply chain. Working as a volunteer there for the past 3 months has been a transformative experience that enabled me to work harder, more efficiently and consider a wider spectrum of issues that come with the region while working closely with locals to understand the challenges faced and develop solutions that are tailor-made. The CEOS, Janet Maro Wostry & Alexander Wostry are passionate, extremely creative, innovative and pragmatic - with the goal of serving farmers, pastoralists and the local community through a variety of methods. Whether it is organic food and health, entrepreneurship skills, or a plethora of other avenues, there are positive impacts on every layer of the organisation - internally and externally. Truth be told, this has been one of the most exciting and informative experiences of my life - the cause, the objectives, method and execution of strategy are all clear and expressed throughout the organisation and the potential for growth is extremely clear and viable. Very excited to work with SAT in the future and see how it progresses forward and pioneers methods for change regionally.
I stayed with SAT for about two months during the summer of 2017. I lived mostly at the Farmer Training Centre in Vianzi. Janet was very accommodating in allowing me to come and be flexible with the requirements I had to fulfill as part of a program I was a part of. I learned so very much at the centre and became friends with many of the staff members that live and work there. As I adjusted, carving out what my role was and how I could be useful was sometimes difficult. Most of that difficulty was rooted in my initial lack of understanding in how all of the parts of SAT fit together to make a working machine. I found that the people that make up SAT all truly care about what their doing and SAT's mission as a whole. I've found SAT to be unique in this way and also in that SAT is almost completely run by Tanzanians, something I find incredibly important and lacking in many international organizations.
In January 2017 we visited our Partner Aqua Alimenta in the Tushikamane Centre in Morogoro. During this visit we made as well the acquaintance of Janet and Alex from Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT). They showed us around in their offices in the Tushikamane centre and explained us their goals and procedures and how they operate. We experienced both of them as very passionate persons dedicated to the work they do in Tanzania for the training of farmers in sustainable agriculture. This impression got even stronger, when Janet was so kind to show us the farmer training centre they had built up just outside of Morogoro. SAT does really provide a difference and the work done is of highest quality and truely sustainable. We wish SAT all the best and hope to remain partners in supporting sustainable agriculture in Tanzania!
I had the great opportunity to visit SAT this past summer. Even before arriving in Morrogoro, I could tell by their Facebook posts and website, that SAT was not your typical NGO. There are LOTS of NGO's who claim to support the interests of farmers and local communities, but SAT demonstrates their commitment by educating farmers as well as the larger global community about the political, economic, and agricultural policies, which directly affect agricultural communities. There are always interesting and important articles written by SAT director, Janet Maro or shared by the organization. These articles about food justice, written from the persecutive of African (in this case Tanzanian farmers) often share perspectives that are not widely circulated within mainstream Tanzania or even global contexts and are so critically important to how we understand and therefore can address problems facing farmers. if only more people knew about SAT and their good work, I'm confident that Tanzanian farmers could continue to demonstrate the many ways that they are totally capable of feeding the world.
I have spent over a decade researching NGO's and development projects in Tanzania, and SAT is by far the most committed, innovative, self-reflexive, and participatory (in REAL WAYS). SAT puts farmers and local communities at the center of their work--emphasizing farmers' knowledge and experience and educating in ways that build on farmers' knowledge.
During my visit, I got to meet with a women's group, who had not only learned from SAT about organic farming, but as they had some of the best (and in some cases only drought surviving ) fruits and vegetables, these women were being asked to train others in the community. Not only had they been able to diversify their diets, but also made a profit selling what they could not eat independently. With their profits, they were able to call a technician to fix their water pump, rather than relying on SAT for support. The stories the women told about the changes in their lives were truly inspiring. As someone who studies Tanzanian and American development interactions, I was impressed by the diversity of their stories and their orientation to each other and to Janet, rather than simply as a means to perform for their American and European visitors. Like my visit to their demonstration/teaching site the women found incredible ways to solve their own problems innovatively with the support and vision of SAT.
As an American, who is deeply concerned about an international develop agenda which pushes corporate agriculture and privatization of seeds over the interests and well being of farmers, I am THRILLED to learn about the work of SAT and looking forward to ways to learn more and share their work with other Tanzanian farmers.
We’ve had the chance to visit the SAT Farmer Training Center in Morogoro in February 2017 and are very impressed how Janet Maro and Alex Wostry, directors and founders, are leading the projects with great knowledge and a lot of motivation and passion.
Thanks to the support of Biovision and other donors, SAT has become a powerful and broadly respected organisation in educating and supporting small scale farmers in the process of organic agriculture. Well known NGOs like World Vision, Swissaid or Slow Food send their local employees to the SAT Morogoro for trainings and further education. We congratulate the SAT for their work and wish Janet, Alex and the whole team all the best for their future work.
Having spent 6 months with SAT, I can only congratulate the entire team for their everlasting energy and their innovative and holistic ideas to improve small-scale farmers livelihoods. I got to know SAT as a young and dynamic but nevertheless highly professional organisation that is evolving at an impressive speed. SAT has managed to establish contacts with many important actors in the field of agriculture in Tanzania and beyond which is made possible through personalities like Janet and Alex and a hardworking and dedicated team. Highly recommend a stay with or a visit to SAT!
Having worked with Janet and Alex for more than five years, I am always again impressed by their tremendous energy and ability to turn visionary thinking into action. It is wonderful to see them and their team grow over the years and their professionalism is rivaled by none. One of the best value for investment in the development sector.
As a Journalist, I was visiting the Farmer Field School in Vianze as well as the Offices in Tushikamane Center in Morogoro. As I met Janet earlier in Switzerland, I knew already a little about the project, vision and mission in advance. Surprising to me at my visit was the fact, that all the people attending classes and trainings as well as the staff seemed to be very dedicated, openminded and helpful. From a professional standpoint, one can argue, whether organic farming is the only way forward or not. But as of now, I think SAT is really doing a great job to raise awareness and knowledge resulting in higher yields of the farmers and finally also supports the self confidence of subsistence-farmers in rural Tanzania.
Communication with the team is very easy, as all are very responsive, to e-mail and phone as well as textmessages.
Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania is a young non-profit with a strong commitment to its mission of promoting organic agriculture for small-scale farmers in Tanzania. Its focus is on education and networking farmers, also enabling them to engage in micro-financing for building positive change in their lives. They continue to grow, not only challenging the farmer groups to adopt changes within the villages, but also themselves within their own organization. They are eager to get feedback from farmers, funders, staff and partner organizations to improve operations and the effectiveness of their outreach programs.
