Name: LEONARD MASINGIJAGender: MALEAge group: 35 – 54Domain of change: CAPACITY BUILDING ON MACHINERY OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRPlace: MSALALA DISTRICT, SHINYANGA REGIONTITLE OF STORY: PADDY PRODUCTION AND PROCESSINGRice is the staple food for most of the Msalala’s population. In the actual field facilitation, the team had spent some time to ask Mr Leonard to shortly describe the situation of paddy processing, machinery operations, maintenance and repair in MAZAO Super Sembe Mill/factory under MPAFAC. He said “Paddy processing machines have grown exponentially in recent years in Bulige and neighboring villages. This increase is an impact of MIVARF project geared towards improving farm yield, technology acquisition and use, better machinery operations, maintenance and repair while observing accreditation standards, safety and health measures”. During the field training, Mr Leonard asserted that ‘he has managed to fight against poverty since he joined with KIMAVIBU group which also has been supported with MIVARF project under the facilitation of SIDO’. KIMAVIBU group has 10 members (7M and 3F) who also have benefited from MIVARF project. Mr Leonard continued to narrate “My income remains highly dependent on rice farming and processing. I have managed to process my farm yield in Mazao Super Sembe Mill after my group joining MPAFAC as association of many paddy producers and processors in Msalala. I also pay tax for the local government during sales of processed rice. I am no longer selling raw paddy to traders as I used before. Now I am processing myself in the machines owned by members of MPAFAC as I decided to join the association. My association -MPAFAC is also supporting other members of the village who don’t have machinery”. Mr Leonard clarified “before I get involved in the project, I was making a lot of mistakes which sometimes ceased our association machinery operations and caused a lot of costs to maintain and repair. Now I have proper knowledge for the steps and flow to undertake during machinery operations, maintenance and repair to avoid unnecessary costs that may be caused due to improper knowledge”.The appreciation availed to the MIVARF project by Mr Leonard for the impact which helped him to generate income for catering on family needs including health, children education, food, clothes and social related matters has uplifted the value of the project to the community otherwise the impact of the project would have been minimal understood by the stakeholders including the community itself. Mr Leonard explained to understand the steps and flow in the day to day machinery inspections, cleanliness, and procedures for planning machinery operations, maintenance and overall repair.In the near future, Mr Leonard has shown ambition to continue acquiring better technology for machinery in paddy production, processing, rice grading and packaging for selling within the country and outside. His dream is to enhance increased household income and continue lifting himself out of poverty while creating more employment and contributing to country economy.The MSC story is written on behalf of Leonard and translated bySIDO SHINYANGAEmail. shinyanga@sido.go.tz
