By Yahaya Jumanne and Sarah Kanza

On 19 August 2025, the forest garden team including the project officer, an intern and five extension officers participated in a pineapple farming training conducted by SJS Organic Farming in Mwanga, Kilimanjaro. The training covered site selection, sourcing and preparation of planting materials, recommended spacing, propagation methods, pest and disease management and organic fertilization.

Following the training at SJS, hands-on session to farmers focused on pineapple propagation using crowns obtained from fruits purchased from Moshi market place. The fruit was eaten with farmers during the training, and the crowns planted as experimental learning.

In October 2025, total of 15 bags of slips and suckers were purchased from Tanga and used to establish demonstration sites using 50 pineapple plants per group. These demonstration plots are expected to provide future planting materials for farmers, supporting wider adoption of pineapple cultivation across groups in 2026.

You can download our farmer handout here: