PARTICIPATORY ECOLOGICAL LAND USE MANAGEMENT TANZANIA, PELUM Tanzania, is a network of more than 33 non governmental organisations working with Smallholder Farmers in more than 13 regions in Tanzania. Its head office is located in Dodoma, Tanzania.

PELUM Tanzania main activities includes capacity building in policy lobbying and advocacy for farmers and farmer organisations best practices documentation and sharing, and networking and coalition building for farmer organisaions in Tanzania, and in east central and southern Africa. PELUM Tanzania also produces a quarterly newsletter called Kilimo Endelevu.

About Tanzania and Agriculture

Tanzania is among the poorest country in the world. Majority of the people, more than 70 percent, are smallholder farmers who mainly live in rural areas. 87percent of the poor people in Tanzania lives in rural areas and most of them are. Agriculture sector is the main contributor to the national economy. It’s contribution account for about 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Agriculture provides food to people and foreign earnings through export of mainly raw materials. However, the government allocated less that 7% of the total budget to agriculture (2005). Its annual growth stands at 4 percent per annum.

Networking for Advocacy

Every August of each year, PELUM-Tanzania supports smallholder farmers all over Tanzania to come together during farmer’s week (Nane Nane) to advocate on policy issues and demand greater involvement of smallholder farmers on policy makings, implementations and monitoring. Farmers also use Nane Nane to share their best practises in farming as well as on advocacy and lobbying.

PELUM-Tanzania organizes “Zonal Networking Day workshops” (Siku ya Wana Mtandao) whereby farmers groups and networks through respective Member organisations come together, exhibits their produces, share experiences, skills, marketing and advocate various issues of their concern. Also special topics are facilitated during the event to all participants and communities around

Relationship between PELUM Tanzania and PELUM Association

PELUM Tanzania is a member of a regional network of over 160 civil society organisations in east and southern Africa. The Association, launched in 1995, works towards sustainable agriculture, food security and sustainable development in the region. It is currently working in ten countries; Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. PELUM Association secretariat is located in Lusaka, Zambia

PELUM Association Objective-
The Association’s long-term objectives are to build capacity of farming and community groups to accumulate ecological capital and to stimulate farmer learning.