Rashid Omar Mbarouk, a dedicated farmer and fisherman from Chwale, Pemba, has been working the land since 2020. He began with traditional farming, growing popular crops like cassava, plantains, and vegetables, mostly for the market but always keeping some for home use. Although fishing brings him a modest income of TZS 10,000–20,000 a day, Mzee Rashid says despite the slow return on investment farming has always yielded more for him.
These economic benefits encouraged him to join the agroforestry initiative introduced through ZanzAdapt. He recognized that shifting from traditional farming to climate-adaptive practices could significantly improve crop yields. For Mzee Rashid, joining the project was not just about transforming his own livelihood, but that of his entire community.
With this in mind, when he joined ZanzAdapt as an Agroforestry ToT in 2025, he made it his mission to reach as many people as possible—starting with his family. He registered his wife, parents, and siblings as agroforestry students under him, ensuring they would also benefit. With them registered, he had already met the minimum number of students required by the project—but that wasn’t enough for him.
The knowledge and resources being provided were too valuable to keep to himself. He believed that more people could benefit, and that the more farmers practiced agroforestry, the faster change would come, not just for individuals, but for the whole community.
He now has 20 students under his wing. Using his own farm as a Farmer Field School, he hosts group classes and provides one-on-one support on their farms. He even has a weekly schedule to ensure no farmer gets left behind.As a result, since joining the project, he’s become a very busy man, juggling his own farm work with visiting and inspecting his students’ farms, often staying out until late in the evening. But the extra responsibilities bring him joy, as they’ve given him a sense of purpose. He firmly believes agroforestry is what will sustain his family in the long run, and he continues to invest what he makes from fishing into his farm.
Mzee Rashid’s work is far from over. Because of his generous spirit, people still reach out asking to join the project. Mzee Rashid has resolved to continue bringing more people into agroforestry—because for him, it’s an investment. An investment in his family, in his neighbours, in his community, and in the generations to come.
