The Rural Voice, 1986-04, Page 8CANADIAN
WHEAT PROJECT
IN TANZANIA
Janet and Don Caldwell developed a strong respect and love for Tan-
zania, its people, and its wildlife during their two-year sojourn helping
to manage a 10,000 -acre wheat farm funded by the Canadian Interna-
tional Development Agency.
When Don Caldwell took a two-
year leave of absence from his
200 -acre farm in Egremont
Township to help manage a
10,000 -acre wheat farm in Tan-
zania, size was not the only dif-
ference. Caldwell discovered a
farming environment wiht a land -
base far superior to what he was
accustomed to in Ontario — one
that produces acceptable wheat
yields despite prolonged periods of
drought. He and his family also
became exposed to a totally dit-
ferent lifestyle, living in close prox-
imity to nomadic and semi-
nomadic African tribes.
The 10,000 -acre farm is one of
seven farms of similar size located
in a fertile pocket of land in the
northeastern part of Tanzania,
close to the Kenyan border.
Known as the Tanzanian/Cana-
dian Wheat Project, the farms are
funded by the Canadian Interna-
tional Development Agency and
are patterned entirely after farm-
ing operations in Saskatchewan.
Agriculture Canada has been in-
volved with the project since 1975.
Each of the seven farms employ a
Tanzanian farm manager, trained
in Canada for two years, and a
Canadian mechanical advisor and
6 THE RURAL VOICE
by Mary -Lou Weiser -Hamilton
field advisor responsible for crop
production.
It was Caldwell's experience in
mechanics and farming that
qualified him for the position of
field advisor. His father owned a
farm equipment dealership, and
Caldwell was rebuilding tractor
motors at age 12. He holds a Class
A mechanics licence and a farm
mechanic's licence, and he has had
a beef feedlot since he bought his
farm in 1966. He is now cash crop-
ping until he can sell his farm.
In Tanzania, three to four field
bosses oversee the work of the 70
to 100 general labourers employed
on each wheat project farm. The
majority of workers involved in
management hold a college degree
in agriculture, but "they still
didn't know much about wheat
production." "They were text-
book farmers," Caldwell says.
"We were supposed to be there in
an advisory capacity but we found
ourselves being boss many times."
The fertile topsoil at the com-
plex is the result of fallout from a
now -inactive volcano 24 km away.
The volcanic ash, in the form of
clays and brown loams, is six to
eight -feet deep. According to
Caldwell, it contains sufficient
nutrients to alleviate the need for
fertilizer for fifty years.
Wheat is the sole crop grown on
the farm. However, maize, millet,
and cotton, crops synonomous
with the area, could also be grown
there.
Because the farm is located
relatively close to the equator, all
farm work must be planned
around the two distinct rainy and
dry seasons. "The complex
receives 23 inches of rain per year
on average, although the rainfall at
each farm can vary quite a bit,"
says Caldwell. "All that rain
comes between the end of
November and the end of March.
Then it's into the dry season and it
never rains from the end of March
to the first of November." The soil
is probed to ensure a sufficient
moisture level before seeding
begins. "When you have 18 inches
of moisture, then you can start to
plant. Otherwise there isn't enough
moisture to run the seeds through
three week of dry weather." The
hope is that the seeds will have
established themselves within that
time and are strong enough to sur-
vive the following dry months.
Occasionally a farm crop will
fail on light land, but according to