ROSDO is involved in capacity building to the community especially in the rural to manage their own development. With a population of over 40 million, 80% of Tanzanians live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. Agriculture contributes 45% of the gross domestic product and 30% of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings. Projects include water supply, sanitation and hygiene, increase production, income and employment through agriculture production and marketing.

 i. Water project

The project intends to reduce the critical water shortage for the people in project areas. The project intends to support interventions to community problems through strategies such as capacity building for enhanced understanding and participation in the implementation of the project. The project identifies the marginalized group and lay out strategies for the community to support them.

The project is designed such a way that ROSDO ensure the participatory monitoring and evaluation between community and partner organization. There is documentation and sharing of key experiences and lessons learnt throughout the implementation process.

 ii.Marketing

The community is made aware of their rights to extension services and open market according to the National policies on marketing and cooperative acts. On organizational capacity building our concern is on two major issues; that there is lack of feedback along the value chain about where the market is and what its key characteristics are. This limited knowledge of the in country chain actors of the drivers of the existing value chain i.e. not seed colour but oil content. World sesame value chain is divided into high value white seed and low value dark seed; and government promote rent seeking within the value chain and limit the power of farmers.

In making the market works for smallholder farmers, capacity strengthening of 17 AMCOS is implemented in Lindi and Mtwara where they fully participate in price setting and demand from local government for extension services

 iii.Environmental Conservational project

The projects focus on involving the community at preserving diversity. As agriculture is the primary source of livelihoods for the majority of the population in the programme area, it is vulnerable to climate change and our food supply relies on successful adaptation. Farmers are trained on tree planting, making local pesticides and foliar fertiliser from vegetation and apply in their farms. There has been much improvement in farmers’ fields from such an application as its low cost and safe to apply compared with inorganic inputs.