For many years, Stephano Mayunga worked hard on his farm in Kakonko District, Tanzania, hoping that each harvest would bring enough income to support his family. As a smallholder farmer and member of Nyabibuye AMCOS, he grew beans, but selling them was never easy.
Like many farmers in his community, Stephano often sold his crops individually. Without strong bargaining power or reliable market access, he depended on middlemen who set low prices. At times, he had to sell early just to meet urgent family needs, even before the harvest season had fully ended.
“I used to struggle a lot because the prices were very low,” Stephano shared.
Although farming required time, effort, and patience, the income he received was often not enough. For Stephano, this made it difficult to plan for his family’s future, especially his children’s education and the next farming season.
His situation began to change through the KiTiKi II Project, implemented by Good Neighbors Tanzania in partnership with KOICA, WFP, and World Vision Tanzania. The project supports smallholder farmers in Kigoma Region by strengthening agricultural value chains, improving market access, and promoting collective action through Agricultural Marketing and Cooperative Societies, or AMCOS.
Through the project, Nyabibuye AMCOS received training on collective aggregation, quality control, storage, sorting, and market linkages. These efforts helped farmers understand the value of selling together rather than individually. By aggregating their produce through the cooperative, farmers became better positioned to access fairer and more reliable markets.
For Stephano, this opened a new opportunity. Through Nyabibuye AMCOS, he was able to sell his beans directly to the World Food Programme at a fair and dependable price.
“This is the first time I sold my beans at such a good price,” he said.
Stephano sold 1.3 metric tons of beans and earned TZS 3.7 million, the highest income he had ever received from farming. For the first time, he saw farming not only as a way to survive, but as a path toward stability and growth.
I couldn’t believe the money I received. For the first time, I felt that farming could truly change my life.
With his earnings, Stephano was able to pay his children’s school fees, buy farm inputs for the next season, upgrade his milling machine from diesel to electricity, and set aside savings for school uniforms. These changes helped reduce the pressure on his household and gave him renewed confidence in farming as a business.
Through the KiTiKi Project, farmers are gaining the skills, confidence, and market connections they need to move away from dependence on middlemen and toward more stable livelihoods. Across the project areas, Good Neighbors Tanzania has continued to support AMCOS members through training, market linkages, financial access, and collective aggregation efforts.
For Stephano, the change is deeply personal. What was once a cycle of hard work and low returns has become a source of hope for his family. His improved income has allowed him to invest in his children, his farm, and his future.
Good Neighbors is an international humanitarian and development organization founded in 1991, working in over 50 countries to make the world a place without hunger and where people live in harmony. Engaging with over 200 communities globally, we empower people and transform communities through social and economic development initiatives. Good Neighbors has General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) since 1996.
For further information, please contact Good Neighbors Global Partnership Center.
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