China finances phase II of the Joint Program of Scaling up the Maize Labor Intensification System in Morogoro (Linked to Record ID#68532, #68530)

In 2011, China Agriculture University (CAU) began working with Tanzanian authorities and Sokoine University of Agriculture to launch the Joint Program of Scaling up the Maize Labor Intensification System in Morogoro (or Double One Project). This program was implemented in two different phases.

This project captures the second phase also called the Tanzania-China Joint Research Center for Agricultural Development. It was financed by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. The purpose of this project was to increase crop yields and increase farmers' incomes in Tanzania.

Starting in 2014, experts from CAU along with new farming technology travelled to Tanzania to test-run new maize cultivations in 12 experimental households.

Due to this initial success, the Chinese government carried out this project in two phases across several more villages. Phase I of this project is recorded in #68530. In 2018, CAU launched a new project (#68532) intended to expand and improve upon the two previous phases.

According to a press release from the China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (CISSCA) (p. 4-5), China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and China Agricultural University (CAU) signed a bilateral agreement on scientific and technological cooperation for this project in Tanzania.

The Tanzania-China Joint Research Center for Agricultural Development was set up in the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA).

Phase II also involved rice breeding experiments and the establishment of a small science and technology park to showcase Chinese agricultural technology.

Furthermore, CAU, SUA, and the Morogoro regional government formed a joint research team and selected Mtego wa Simba as the demonstration village and four surrounding villages as the extension villages.

More than 200 households in Mtego wa Simba village have participated in this program, and the maize yield for them increased by more than 2-3 times.