Spice farming in Tanzania

Kibano Omar Kibano turned to spice farming because his former income of around EUR 60 a month, from rearing livestock, subsistence farming and small-scale fishing, was not enough to meet his family’s basic needs.

He cultivated vanilla, black pepper and cinnamon but the vanilla plants wilted badly. Then he attended an awareness-raising meeting organised by Community Forests Pemba (CFP), a project that falls under the GCCA Tanzania programme, funded by the EU. He registered as a CFP spice farmer, and gained training and support.

In the two years since, the training has helped improve production. “I have increased the number of my vanilla plants from 200 to 570, black pepper plants from seven to 15, and I have 50 cinnamon and 15 cardamom plants. I now train up to 30 farmers to ensure their plants also thrive,” said Kibano.

"Kibano has become very active with spice farming in his community. In fact, he is very active with the Zanzibar Spice Farmers’ Association, helping to secure improved prices for his fellow farmers. With support from the project, he made his first spice sales to an international buyer," said CFP Horticulture Officer, Yahya Khatib Suleiman.

Kibano’s average income is now around EUR 85. This provides three meals a day for his four children and pays for his eldest to attend secondary school. The family enjoys a varied diet and Kibano hopes that in future he might send his children to university.

The CFP spice programme in Pemba has led to a fivefold increase in the price of vanilla per kilo from around EUR 70 to EUR 370. The income helps pay for schooling, house-building and food.

GCCA+ was initiated in Tanzania in 2010 to support the government build the capacity of vulnerable communities to deal with the impacts of climate change.