Pilipili Project Mikumi

Description

To improve education and awareness of elephants to farmers in Tanzania, the Tembo Pilipili project in collaboration with the community has established a 6 acre experimental chili farm as a School for Field Training to farmers in Mikumi. The farm is located on the western side of Mikumi National Park in a corridor that connects Mikumi, Udzungwa, and Ruaha National Parks. 

Due to its location, there are frequent visits by elephants. The farm will be used to train farmers on humane methods to mitigate human elephant conflict (HEC) using chili fencing and chili briquettes, and training farmers on chili farming as a buffer crop, chili processing and marketing of chili powder to ensure farmers can meet their full income potential. 

We are also collaborating with the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and the Tanzania Industrial Research and Development Organization (TIRDO) to improve the use of technology in growing, drying, and marketing chili within Tanzania and overseas. TIRDO will help construct new chili dryers in Mikumi Vikweme sub-village, which will be used for drying chili by three CBOs (90 farmers) during the rainy season when chili production is high.

Furthermore, in an effort to bring in additional funding resources to support CBOs, we are working to establish an MOU with the Vision Fund to work with the Tembo Pilipili Project. Since we started the Tembo Pilipili Project, farmers have been requesting funds for purchasing higher quality agriculture inputs and sisal ropes for making chili fences. 

The Tembo Pilipili Project has not had the funds in place to support farmers to this extent. Vision Fund has already supported five CBOs in Tarangire, and the MOU will empower CBOs by providing a loan product suitable to farmers who are supported by Tembo Pilipili Project for purchasing higher quality seeds, fertilizer, and materials for elephant mitigation strategies. Vision Fund will share a loan tracking system with Tembo Pilipili project, and train farmers on financial management. The funds will be targeted during the peak of growing and conflict season, when there is particularly high financial hardship due to crops not yet being harvested.