A Word from the Director’s Table
First and foremost, I would like to thank our gracious heavenly Father whose grace and blessings enabled us to prepare the Group Competition/trade show ceremony for the past year, 2017 – 2018. I must admit, it was not easy to prepare such an event — all glory and honor belongs to God. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all who were involved in the preparation of the event. Please accept my sincere gratitude.
A kind vote of thanks also goes to all groups that were in attendance and warm congratulations to those who won a prize(s). Special thanks to the many faith-based groups that were in attendance as well as their leaders for support and encouragement.
1.0 ABOUT THE EVENT
Each year, FLORESTA organizes an annual event that bring together smallholder farmer groups within and around the Kilimanjaro region (in PY18/19 we had 10,000 participant in attendance).
The event was organized around the idea of inter-group competitions and display whereby the smallholder farmer groups showcase and compete against each other and winners were awarded a prize(s). In attendance there were several invitees including leaders from various government and non-government entities, leaders from faith-based organizations, from within Tanzania and around the globe. The guest of honor in this event was professor Dosilantus Silayo cheif executive of Tanzania Forestry service Agency.
The purpose of the event was to promote cooperation and commitment within the groups, among team members, against some set criteria as well against their opponents. The competition criteria include: status of tree nursery, tree planting activities, maintenance of the village water source group meeting attendance, group membership registry, group ledger (financial) status, group adherence to community bank regulations, group business plan details, rate of micro-credit returns, etc.
2.0 GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of this work is to conserve the natural environment hence protecting the snow of Mount Kilimanjaro through sustainable farming and business.
2.1 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of this work include:
- To promote market linkages between Agric-producer and consumers
- To stop the cycle of poverty and deforestation through tree planting campaigns.
- To fight hunger by promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
- To improve the economic (financial security) situation of farmers by offering trainings on savings-led microfinance.
- To run campaigns for environmental conservation and restoration.
3.0 MEETING PLACE AND TIME
This year, our annual event took place in Moshi, Kilimanjaro (at Moshi co-operative University grounds). The event kicked off at around 8.00 AM and closed at around 6.00 PM.
4.0 AWARD GIVING & DISPLAY
The award giving exercise was colored with songs, music, meals and exhibition. Participating farmer groups brought their produces, share their experience and exchanged ideas and contacts. It was a networking opportunity to Floresta farmers. The event served as a platform for connecting farmers and markets. In the end, trophies, medals and certificates were given to the winners by the guest of honor.