Welcome and Karibu!
SAT supports member farmer groups not only on the way to certification but also to create a market opportunity for their organic products. In April 2012 SAT, therefore, took initiative by opening an organic food store that illustrates new ways of developing a local organic market in Tanzania.
The first organic shop in Morogoro gives its citizens the opportunity to get a wide range of different, untreated and healthy food at a fair price. At the same time, organic farmers can be offered an adequate market for their produce. So far, many Tanzanians have no knowledge about organically cultivated food, including the fact that up to 95% of all quality organic products are intended for export only. Certified organic products are hard to obtain in the country and are usually affordable only to the upper social classes of Tanzania or expatriates. With the SAT Organic Shop, we aim to bring healthy organic products to the Tanzanian market.
To date, 12 groups of 300 small-scale farmers have got the certification and are licensed under the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), whereby the farmers follow the East African Organic Product Standards (EAOPS). The products are also delivered to hotels and restaurants, as well as Dar es Salaam, the coastal metropolis of Tanzania.
The demand is great! The SAT Organic Shop, with its model function, targets other farmers to establish PGS and, in turn, to convert to sustainable farming methods. In the coming years, the market activities are forecasted to increase by further capacitating training and certification of 500 spice farmers who are going to sell their products in Tanzania. It is foreseen that an organic farmers’ market space will be allocated in Morogoro Municipal by the government where farmers can directly sell their organically produced products to consumers.
BENEFITS OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS
- No chemical contamination
Eating organic foods is the only way to avoid poisonous chemicals present in conventionally grown food since neither industrial fertilizers nor pesticides are used in production.
The National Academy of Sciences reports that 90% of the chemicals applied to foods have not been tested for long-term health effects before being deemed “safe.” Furthermore, the FDA tests only 1% of foods for pesticide residue.
- Presence of more nutrients
Organic foods have more nutrients—vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and micronutrients—than conventional foods because the soil is managed and nourished with sustainable practices.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine conducted a review of 41 published studies comparing the nutritional value of organic and conventional fruits, vegetables, and grains and concluded that there are significantly more of several nutrients in organic food crops.
- Enjoy better taste
Try it! Organic foods generally taste better because well-balanced soil produces healthy and strong plants. This is especially true with heirloom varieties, which are cultivated for taste over appearance.
- GMO Avoidance
Genetically engineered (GE) food and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are contaminating our food supply at an alarming rate, with effects beyond understanding. Hence Organic products are good as they are not genetically modified.
- Ecosystems preservation
Organic farming supports farming in harmony with nature.
Preservation of soil and crop rotation keep farmland healthy, and chemical abstinence preserves the ecosystem and wildlife, including insects, frogs, birds, and soil organisms.
- Reduces soil and water pollution
Industrial pesticides and fertilizers are contaminating our environment, poisoning our precious water supplies, and destroying the value of fertile farmland. Certified organic standards do not permit the use of toxic chemicals in farming and require responsible management of healthy soil and biodiversity.
- Traceability
The strict requirements we have to meet so we can get our products certified have the benefit that every item is perfectly traceable. We know where the item comes from, who produced it, and in which conditions it is grown. To share this knowledge with you, we give you information on all our producers. You can read about them here:Fresh organic vegetables and processed products available
The SAT Organic Shop is located along Kilakala Road opposite Toyota Morogoro,
close to the Tushikamane Centre ! Mobile +255 677 046610