Kilimanjaro Agricultural Training Centre (KATC), Moshi

Kilimanjaro Agricultural Training Centre (KATC) is one of few insti­tutes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security offering specialized short courses in agriculture, with special emphasis on irrigated rice farming improvement. The centre aims at enhancing the technical capa­bilities of field personnel and rice key farm­ers with respect to irrigated rice cultivation through practical training and field tours.

With ever increasing world population, the need to increase food production, especially in developing countries, can not be over em­phasized. Rice is the staple food for most Asian and some African countries, including Tanzania where it is the second most impor­tant cereal after maize. However, a great po­tential for increased rice production in Tan­zania is still untapped. Rice producers, ma­jority of them are smallholder farmers need to be trained about modem rice production techniques and the need to use high yielding varieties in order to earn more income.

Great efforts have been made by the Tanzanian Gov­ernment with assistance from the Government of Japan (through Japan International Cooperation Agency – JICA) to set up magnificent training facili­ties at KATC Moshi for rice farmers and field personnel. The Centre is well equipped and staffed with qualified and experienced train­ers in the fields of irrigated rice cultivation, extension, water management and rice mecha­nization. The Ministries responsible for Ag­riculture in Tanzania and neighboring coun­tries of Kenya, Zambia and Malawi recog­nize KATC Moshi as the centre for excellence in these fields and are eager to utilize if fully to ensure that the region becomes self sufficient in rice.

Location

KATC is situated in Chekereni village, 17 km. South East of Moshi town in Kilimanjaro region. It also maintains an of­fice in the Kilimanjaro Industrial and Agri­cultural Development Building, adjacent to the Regional Administration Building in Moshi town for convenience of receiving visi­tors and communications to the outside world. KATC Chekereni compound is conveniently placed in the heart of Lower Moshi Irrigation Scheme which provides the most suitable training ground for all courses of­fered by the Centre.

Facilities

The facilities at KATC Chekereni compound include: Two hostels with 30 spacious rooms combined with din­ing and kitchen facilities. The total capacity is sixty participants at a time; Well equipped lecture rooms and laboratories; Information Unit comprising of a library and reading room with most up to date literature and data on irrigated rice cultivation and related topics; A well equipped audio-visual materials pro­duction unit; Secretarial and printing ser­vices which include binding of materials; A training machinery workshop; An animal power unit with trained water buffaloes, don­keys, oxen and ducks; A training farm for practical demonstrations; A well equipped meteorological station; A modem post har­vest facility and a display room with a wide collection of real materials and data on irri­gated rice cultivation and Variety of low cost grain storage units.

Contact Details

Kilimanjaro Agricultural Training Centre
Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperative
KATC, P.O. Box 1241, Moshi, Kilimanjaro Tanzania.
Phone/Fax:  027-275-2293 
Email: katc_mafc@yahoo.co.uk