Research Institution
TARI was established by the Parliamentary Act No. 10 of 2016 to enhance the strengthening of the agricultural research system in Tanzania. It is a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for all agricultural research activities conducted by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in Tanzania. TARI’s mission is to generate and promote the application of knowledge in agricultural technologies as a catalyst of change in achieving agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture, and economic growth involving stakeholders in the country and the global community. TARI’s goal is to contribute to increased agricultural productivity through the development and deployment of improved agricultural knowledge and technologies by adopting an innovation systems approach. TARI is mandated to conduct, regulate, promote, and coordinate all agricultural research activities conducted by public and private research institutes or organizations in Tanzania. TARI has 8 research centers (TARI-Selian, TARI-Ukiriguru, TARI-Mlingano, TARI-Tumbi, TARI-Makutopora, TARI-Uyole, TARI-Ilonga, and TARI-Naliendele) and 10 sub-centers (TARI-Maruku, TARI-Tengeru, TARI-IPGRO, TARI-Hombolo, TARI-Dakawa, TARI-Mikocheni, TARI-Kifyulilo, TARI-Ifakara, TARI-Kibaha) located in different agro-ecological zones. TARI through its research center called TARI-Selian will participate in the EWA-BELT project as a partner, and collaborator and in particular will be the contributor and implementer of tasks related to WP2 “Traditional and innovative agricultural practices”, WP3 “Crop and food protection”, WAP 4 “Boosting value chain”, WAP5 “Sustainable Intensification Indicator” and WAP 6 “Communication/dissemination/capacity building and maximization of the EWA-BELT impact at the UN level”.
Who We Are
TARI-Selian is an interdisciplinary research center organized into four departments (Crops, Farming Systems, Natural Resources Management, and administration). TARI has more than 70 staff with various cadres ranging from doctorate, master degree, bachelor degree, and diploma level distributed in different departments serving as senior researchers, field assistants, technicians, and managerial-administrative personnel who belong to different disciplinary areas; agronomy, soil science, ecology, economics, environmental science, laboratory science, mechanization, pathology, community development, food and nutrition sciences, post-harvest storage and information technology (IT) and communication. TARI-Selian offers research services related to soil fertility assessment and management, crop breeding, and extension services to both farmers and other companies working in agriculture in Tanzania.
Our Own Experience
TARI-Selian, formally called SARI, was established in 1980 by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as part of the Tanzania-Canada wheat project to provide research support for the Hanang wheat complex farms. Since 1989, TARI has been designated as the Zonal Headquarters for Agriculture and Livestock Research and Training for the Northern Zone of Tanzania, and its mandate included Research on all major grain crops grown in the zone based on a Farming Systems Research perspective. In 2016, the Tanzanian Parliament through the Parliamentary Act No. 10 of 2016 established the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) as a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for all agricultural research activities conducted by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in Tanzania and to enhance the strengthening of agricultural research system in Tanzania. TARI- Selian being one of the 18 research centers under TARI, has gained experience in research and cooperation with other public and private research institutes in Tanzania on themes similar to those of the EWA-BELT Project.
Deodatus Stanley Kiriba
Deodatus Kiriba works as a soil scientist by profession and is currently employed as an agricultural research officer at TARI-Selian under the Natural Resource Management Department. He gained research experience through coordinating field works of the Tanzania Soil Information Service (TanSIS) project to conduct soil fertility assessment surveys to establish the relationship between nutrients in soils and those up-taken by maize tissues or grains and the changes in the availability of essential plant macro- and micro-nutrients in soils of Northern, Central, Southern and Lake Zones Regions of Tanzania; as a research team member for POLY4PROJECT for validating multi-nutrients blends fertilizers of polyhalite origin in different soils of Tanzania to ascertain: (1) performance of NPK blends of polyhalite origin; (2) appropriate blends that are suitable for corn agro-ecological regions of Tanzania and (3) the potassium limited yields of rained corn of in Kilimanjaro, Tanga and Manyara regions of Tanzania.
As a consultant in carrying out the feasibility study for initiating the commercial smallholder tea cultivation in Kigoma Region on socio-economic developments and tea sub-sector achievements in the neighbouring Rwanda and Burundi, specifically advising on land suitability, soil fertility, and other agronomical issues and as a consultant on Designing Decision Tools, the Soil Health Assessment Tool Kit and training communities on using this Tool Kit to Facilitate Village Land Use Planning for Natural Resources Management (NRM) in Kilimanjaro Region. He has more than 7 years of research experience in soil science, crop science, and experimental methodology in agronomy. He has co-authored five (5) scientific papers. In the EWA BELT Project, he will be the project contact person and he will be involved in the follow-up of timely implementation and the success of all WPs to be implemented by TARI-Selian.
Prosper Inyasi Massawe
Prosper Inyasi Massawe is currently a Senior Agricultural Research Officer (SARO) at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian. He currently serves as a Soil Scientist and Head of the Natural Resource Management Department at TARI–Selian Centre. He has 10 years of research for development experience in crop production and natural resources management. He has been involved in a wide range of innovative and people-centred research in the development of sustainable natural resources management and crop production for smallholder agriculture.
His ability to research, lead, and inspire individual researchers to achieve their goals and to encourage teams to work together towards common goals has been recognized by peers’ journals ward and government leadership. In the EWA BELT Project, he will work closely with the project contact person in ensuring the follow-up of the successful implementation of all WPs to be implemented by TARI-Selian.
Shida Mahenge Nestory
Shida Mahenge Nestory works as an Agricultural Research Officer (ARO) under the crop department (Bean section) at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian serving as the plant breeder in the commodity common bean. He has 8 years in developing improved legume varieties and supporting the public and private sectors in producing basic and certified seeds. Has participated in a range of research work related to crop production across the country. In the EWA-BELT Project, he will give expertise in activities related to the evaluation of legume crops and other neglected crops to be tested.
Eutropia Vincent Tairo
Eutropia Vincent Tairo is an Agronomist and is currently employed as a Senior Agricultural Research Officer in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Selian Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian Centre. She has over 10 years of working in areas related to the morpho-physiological response of plants to different environmental conditions mainly drought/water stress, salt stress together with its adaptations; climate change, N and P-nutrition of crop plants grown in nutrient-poor soils in Tanzania; N2 fixation by leguminous crops since Tanzania is endowed with huge amounts of leguminous plants which are the unique natural source of N in the soil and molecular biology studies including, screening for moisture stress tolerant bean genotypes using Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) technique and the use of Portable DNA sequencer for management of emerging insect pest and diseases in plants.
In the EWA-BELT Project, she will give expertise in activities related to agronomical evaluation of legume crops and other neglected crops to be tested.
Shadrack Jacob Mbapila
Shadrack Jacob Mbapila is an Agricultural Economist in the Department of Farming Systems at the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian. His areas of specialization are institutional economics (transaction costs), social networks, value chain, governance, marketing, business development, agribusiness, entrepreneurship, and economics. He has researched organic food systems, marketing, value chains, and several economic analyses in agriculture. Has participated in several projects including; Productivity and Growth in Organic Value Chain (ProGrOV), Adoption Pathways Project under CIMMYT, Sustainable Intensification of Maize and Legumes Cropping Systems for Food Security in Eastern and Southern Africa (SIMLESA) under CIMMYT and was a PI for the Promotion of Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties for Africa (DTMA) in the Northern part of Tanzania.
He has several publications in agriculture and is a peer reviewer for some journals such as Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (Cambridge University Press), INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing (SAGE publishers), and Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology. In the EWA BELT Project, he will give his expertise to carry out social surveys, data interpretation, and generating economic data guiding the selection of various technologies to be adopted by small-scale farmers.
Adili Mvena
Adili Mvena works as the agricultural Research officer in the Department of Natural Resources Management at TARI-Selian Centre Arusha, Tanzania. He is an experienced Researcher in various research activities under different research projects. He has gained experience through working as a researcher under the TanSIS project implemented by TARI in collaboration with the Africa Soil Information System (AfSIS) as one of the task force members in analyzing soil and plant samples using Alpha Spectrometer machine (MIR) and predictions of soil properties from spectral measurements using Bayesian Additive Regression Tree (BART) in the AfSIS/TanSIS soil laboratory. Under the EWA-BELT project, he will participate in field surveys, layout of experiments, and data collection for various work packages on the project site.
Maria Margwe
Maria Margwe works as a Laboratory Technologist in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian Centre. I have gained Research experience through working under the Tanzania Soil Information Service (TanSIS) where I have participated in field works for collecting soil samples from about 18 regions of Tanzania to establish their fertility status; working as a laboratory analyst involved in analyzing soil samples using Alpha Spectrometer machine (MIR) and predictions of soil properties from spectral measurements using Bayesian Additive Regression Tree (BART) in the AfSIS/TanSIS soil laboratory.
I have been in involved in a survey consultancy work for soil mapping to set up a geodatabase of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. Under the EWA-BELT project, she will participate as a field assistant mandated to oversee one of the project sites, thus ensuring that all project activities as per different work packages to be carried out in the project site are implemented as per agreed protocol and are accomplished.
Eugenia Kweka
Eugenia Kweka works as a principal agriculture field officer (PAFO) in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian. She has over 20 years of research experience gained through working as a research team member under different projects implemented by TARI-Selian. She has skills related to field layout, data collection in démonstration/ trials, data management, and analysis. Under the EWA-BELT project, she will participate as a field assistant mandated to oversee project activities in one of the project sites, thus ensuring that all project activities as per different work packages to be carried out in that particular project site are implemented as per the agreed protocol and are accomplished, data collected and shared to various stakeholder as per project directions.
Stella Materu
Stella Materu works as an agriculture field officer in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian Centre. She has gained research experience through working as a research team member under the TanSIS project implemented by TARI-Selian in collaboration with the Africa Soil Information System (AfSIS), mandated to collect soil samples from various agroecological zones of Tanzania. I have also gained skills related to setting and data collection in demonstration/ trials through my involvement as a research assistant with the SIMLESA project which focused on setting up trials with farmers to study maize-legume sustainable intensification as well as a project team member in vermicomposting project aimed at understanding how vermicomposting can be used for soil fertility management.
Under the EWA-BELT project, Asha will participate as a field assistant mandated to oversee one of the project sites, thus ensuring that all project activities as per different work packages to be carried out in the project site are implemented as per the agreed protocol and are accomplished.
Asha H. Rembulamwana
Asha H. Rembulamwanaworks as an agriculture field officer in the Department of Natural Resources Management at TARI-Selian. She has gained research experience through working as a Research Team member under the TanSIS project implemented by TARI in collaboration with the Africa Soil Information System (AfSIS), whereby she has participated in soil sampling and analysis of soils from different agro-ecological zones of Tanzania. She has also gained skills related to setting and data collection in demonstration/ trials through my involvement as a research assistant with the SIMLESA project which focused on setting up trials with farmers to study maize-legume sustainable intensification as well as a project team member in vermicomposting project aimed at understanding how vermicomposting can be used for soil fertility management.
Under EWA-BELT project, Asha will participate as a field assistant mandated to oversee one of the project site, thus ensuring that all project activities as per different work packages to be carried out in the project site are implemented as per agreed protocol and are successfully accomplished.
David Shangweli
David Shangweli works as a driver for the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian Centre. He has been an active driver and has participated in several projects implemented by TARI-Selian for about 12 years. Under the EWA-BELT project, Shangwele will be a main driver for the research team during execution of the EWA-BELT project activities in the identified project sites
Agatha Gabriel Handeni
Agatha Gabriel Handeni works as a chief accountant in the account section at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Selian Centre. She is a Certified Public Accountant - CPA(T) under the Tanzanian National Board of Accountants and Auditors (NBAA) and has gained experience related to the preparation of financial statements according to International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) achieved through working as an auditor at Co-operative Audit and Supervision Corporation (COASCO).
Under the EWA-BELT project, she will be the main accountant responsible for linking up TARI and EWA-BELT overall coordinator in all issues related to fund requests, fund transfers, release of funds to the research team for implementing the EWA-BELT activities and monitor if the expenditure of the funds is in accordance to the EWA-BELT grant agreement for the success of the project.
Restuta Kessy
Restuta Kessy works as a procurement officer in the procurement office at Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)- Selian Centre. She has 8 years of experience in the procurement of various equipment needed for all projects implemented at the TARI-Selian Centre. Under the EWA-BELT Project, she will be the main procurement officer for purchasing/procuring all items/equipment required for the implementation of the EWA-BELT project activities.
