Community Agricultural Support Officers

Caso John

Through the support of our donor, 4 young men from local communities were selected and trained as a Community Agricultural Support Officer (CASO). 3 went on to support their home communities and 1 helped establish and run the Edible Garden Programme. Their in-depth knowledge and understanding of the community enable them to adapt training to specific local needs.

As soon as the CASOs were introduced to their community leaders, they were in high demand as they began to provide training and advice to farmers and households. They are now the first port of call for any livestock and crop-growing queries, releasing the burden on the ward agricultural officers and the town vet. 

The teachers at the schools now have a point of contact to discuss their market gardens, helping them plan their yearly activities to get the very best from the land.

In 2018 responding to feedback from farmers we invested in enhancing the CASOs knowledge of organic soil management and conservation agriculture. Members of the team completed training with Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania, covering; soil recovery, nutrient deficiency, organic management of diseases and the relationship between agriculture and conservation. These skills are now being shared with their communities. Building the CASOs capacity is crucial to ensuring they can continue to serve their communities effectively.

The CASOs have serve over 300 farmers across 5 communities, support 5 school enterprise programmes and have established a network of demonstration vegetable gardens and community trainers across 6 communities.

Click HERE to read about their work in Malangi