In this webinar, leaders of the Iringa Hope cooperative will describe activities and accomplishments resulting from its support of the adoption of improved agronomy and post-harvest practices by its cooperative members. These activities are supported by Micro Finance funding through the cooperative organization.

Established in 2010, Iringa Hope supports its cooperative members with education on best agronomic practices, aggregate purchasing of input supplies, agricultural financing, aggregate grain storage and marketing, and training for smallholder farmers in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. As an active participant in the YieldWise Initiative (a project of the Rockefeller Foundation), Iringa Hope has introduced improved post-harvest practices to its members and assisted members to implement those practices. Importantly, these efforts were undertaken in concert with complementary agronomic and financing innovations being pursued by Iringa Hope through its Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) and Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS). The economic importance of this integrated approach is key to Iringa Hope’s successful documented economic performance. As will be illustrated during this webinar, economic modeling has been instrumental in enabling decision makers to anticipate and maximize economic outcomes.

Session Line-Up

Moderator

• Dirk Maier, Professor and Post-Harvest Engineer, Iowa State University

Presenters and titles:

• Norm Siekman, President, Board of Directors, Iringa Hope U.S.A.

• Enock Ugulumu, Director, Iringa Hope Tanzania and Professor at the University of Iringa, Iringa, Tanzania

• Venance Msigala, Agronomist, Iringa Hope Tanzania

• Steve Sonka, Emeritus Chaired Professor, University of Illinois, U.S.A