Tanzania at a Crossroads, Building an Organic Future after Decades of Toxic Pollution

(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2025) Policymakers in Tanzania are calling for increased investments in organic agriculture for the 2025/26 fiscal year budget, demonstrating the increase in political will to advance new systems of farming and land management after decades of relying on Green Revolution-style, or chemical-intensive, policies. On June 20, various ministers representing the national government presented speeches to Parliament on the national government’s plan and budget recommendations, as well as highlighting the previous fiscal year’s trends and use of funds.

Political and popular support for organic agricultural systems has gained momentum across the globe. Worldwide, organic farming practices quadrupled from 2000 to 2018, with over 180 countries supporting a global transition to organic agriculture. Newly published global survey data by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – Organics International (IFOAM) reveal global organic agriculture to be at an all-time high, with 71.5 million hectares of farmland in production as of 2020. (See Daily News here). Farmer and agricultural cooperatives around the world, from Brazil to Madagascar and Togo, leverage organic systems to develop competitive business models in regional, national, and international markets. (See Daily News here.) The European Union, with the goal of 25 percent of all European farmland certified organic by 2030, just released a new nearly 5 million euro initiative (OrganicClimateNet) to support farmers and supply chains in reaching this goal. (See Daily News here.)

According to reporting in the Tanzania-based outlet The Citizen, “Special Seats MP [Member of Parliament] Asha Juma (Chama Cha Mapinduzi, the ruling political party in the nation) called for more sustainable farming methods, advocating for a gradual transition away from chemical imports toward organic agriculture: ‘Let’s protect our land and adopt organic farming.’” MP Juma continues, “If we reduce reliance on imported chemicals and shift to organic practices, we will safeguard the environment and enhance long-term soil fertility.”