For five days, peasant youth from different regions of Tanzania, together with an international delegation of Youth Articulation of La Vía Campesina, participated in an experiential process of agroecological learning and solidarity building in the town of Kinole, at the foot of the Uluguru Mountains.
The delegation stayed at the agroecological training school, run by community members organized in the Tanzania Farmers’ Association Network (MVIWATA in Swahili). It was an experience of deep immersion in local knowledge, peasant culture, and the daily struggles for food sovereignty promoted by LVC’s agroecology, seeds, and biodiversity collective.
The opening day focused on contextualizing the visit and giving the exchange a territorial anchor. After the welcome, there was a presentation on agricultural systems in the region, where, in addition to planting fruit trees, tubers, and grains for self-sufficiency, spices—mainly cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and ginger—are produced in large quantities to supply local and international trade. On this first day, the collection and marketing system was also discussed, and, in general, the local credit system for peasant-oriented production and trade was introduced.
“For cloves, to get seeds, you have to wait until February for the flowers to turn into seeds. You have to wait to plant. We don’t store the seeds because they don’t keep well; it’s better to come back when it’s seed time.”
On the second day, we visited a series of plots on the mountainside. Surrounded by lush and diverse vegetation, the delegation had the opportunity to observe the region’s traditional production methods.
Weeding was done, soil was analyzed, and information was shared about the reproduction methods of the different species planted. Throughout the tour of this rich agroforest, the young people exchanged ideas, anecdotes, common concerns, ways of doing things, and even traditional recipes from their villages.
The third day focused on collective reflection and the exchange of strategies around shared challenges. Dialogues were generated that connected the local with the global in relation to access to land, markets, financing, and the impact of climate change.
Experiences of struggle, challenges, and proposals in the face of adversity were shared, followed by an exercise in collective imagination of possible alternatives to promote as youth in the territories and the movement.
Visits to organizational spaces promoted by MVIWATA, such as the rural savings cooperative (Saccos) and the Tandai farmers’ market, promoted by MVIWATA, showed how economic and organizational autonomy can be built from the bottom up.
In the afternoon, young people from LVC and Tanzania presented their experiences of struggle and organization, opening up a space where powerful stories, songs, and reflections emerged around why it is important to continue sowing and resisting.
Fatma (Tanzania): “I find some things similar to Zanzibar, but I see that pepper is handled differently here and I learned a lot. Also the difference in the organization of the Saccos. I also loved meeting young farmers and learning about the issue of youth unity.”
On the final day, a theater forum was held, dramatizing one of the central themes of the entire visit: commercialization and the dilemma of intermediaries. In particular, the play depicted how the role of intermediaries and speculative buyers affects the selling price for farmers. The entire delegation actively participated in the play, some as “actors” and others as “audience/directors,” intervening to modify the circumstances and collectively seek solutions to the abuse of intermediaries and buyers.
The peasant philosophy of pole-pole (slowly, calmly) and Hakuna Matata (no problem) became a methodological approach from the outset. This approach not only allowed us to delve into the local peasant space-time and appreciate the biodiverse landscape of Kinole, but was also extremely valuable in building links between participants.
Mavis (Zimbabwe): “In my country there are mountains, but we don’t plant in the mountains. How strong you must be to climb those mountains. Especially us peasant women who do most of the work, it’s really impressive. In Zimbabwe, peasants are interested but don’t produce spices, so we buy them. Now I think I can organize a plot with spices to show that they can be produced and don’t need to be bought.”
The exchange flowed as much in formal spaces as it did during walks, shared meals, and spontaneous reflection circles. At all times, the technical intertwined with the political. In each debate, peasant knowledge was revalued, extractive narratives were challenged, and agroecology was rescued not as a recipe, but as a broad process.
Katherine (Puerto Rico): “I was very impressed by the time and scope of the organization in this territory. It is impressive to visit the agroforestry plantation in the mountains. It was new to me; we plant on flat land. Seeing that diversity of planting and the mountains makes me feel a lot of respect. Thank you very much, and I hope we can continue these experiences of sharing from farmer to farmer.”
The exchange allowed us to experience encounter, rootedness, dialogue, and unity. The methodology shared by MVIWATA and LVC—based on peer learning (peasant-to-peasant), the centrality of the territory, and international solidarity—allowed us to cultivate meaningful and valuable relationships among the youth of the movement.
This visit not only deepened the bonds between participants, but also renewed the commitment of La Vía Campesina’s youth to agroecology as a form of production and way of life. An agroecology anchored in biodiversity, in the safeguarding of the land and territory, and in a dignified life for young people in the countryside.
Jean (France): “I am impressed by the strength of Mviwata, the organization, the school, and the work in the markets. In terms of agroecology, I was impressed by the agroforestry here. It is real agroforestry; you can see an incredible diversity and variety of productive forest.”
