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Cultivating Change: Creating Jobs and Climate-Smart Futures
When Meshack Lwenje graduated from university, finding a job was anything but easy. Like many young agriculture graduates, he moved from one opportunity to another, taking temporary jobs while searching for stable employment. Along the way, he gained practical experience in greenhouse farming, unknowingly preparing for what would become his life's work.
Andasoni Dioni Onesmo.
A Foundation Built Through Climate-Smart Agriculture
That opportunity came when he joined Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) as an agronomist under a Climate Smart Economic Empowerment project implemented through ELCT Northern Diocese.
"I wasn't just employed," Meshack recalls. "I was given the opportunity to learn, work with farmers, and understand how climate-smart agriculture can change lives."
His work took him across Chunya, Songwe, Manyara, and Kilimanjaro, where he trained farmers on drip irrigation, established demonstration plots, and helped communities adopt modern farming techniques. The experience opened his eyes to a challenge many farmers faced: access to quality seedlings.
"I realised farmers were investing in farming but losing crops because they couldn't access quality seedlings," he says. "I knew there had to be a better solution."
Turning a Challenge into a Business
In 2021, Meshack established Kilimo Halisi, starting with a single greenhouse to produce vegetable seedlings. As demand grew, he expanded to four greenhouses and began offering affordable drip irrigation systems, agricultural training, and technical support to farmers.
Today, Kilimo Halisi has become more than a business.
The enterprise employs 20 young people, including 11 men and 9 women, among them single mothers, and creates additional seasonal jobs whenever demand increases. Farmers from across Tanzania visit the demonstration farm to learn practical climate-smart farming techniques, while thousands more follow the training through social media.
More than 37,000 farmers have received support through affordable drip irrigation systems, and Kilimo Halisi's digital platforms now reach tens of thousands of people seeking agricultural knowledge.
Creating Opportunities for Young People
For Andasoni Dioni Onesmo, one of the young people working as an intern at Kilimo Halisi, the opportunity came after months of frustration.
After graduating with a degree in agriculture, the 28-year-old submitted countless job applications without success. He eventually found work operating machinery in a factory, earning very little.
"I kept following Kilimo Halisi on Instagram," he says. "When I saw an opportunity to gain practical skills, I applied immediately because I knew agriculture is life. If you have skills, you can create your own employment."
Today, Andasoni believes practical skills are just as important as a university degree. He says:
"I encourage young people to keep learning. A degree gives you knowledge, but practical experience gives you the confidence to create opportunities for yourself.”
A New Path Through Agriculture
Another young person whose life has changed is Elisha Mtafya.
Before joining Kilimo Halisi, Elisha worked in a salon in Mbeya, earning just TZS 10,000 (USD 4) per week, barely enough to meet his daily needs.
Today, he trains farmers on drip irrigation, prepares vegetable seedlings, and travels across the country providing technical support to farming communities.
"Recently, I spent four days supporting farmers in Shinyanga," he says. "The income I earned was more than I could have imagined before joining this programme. I earned TZS 400,000 (USD 151)."
Changing Perceptions of Farming
For Meshack, creating employment remains his greatest achievement.
He says:
“My proudest moment is seeing young people earning a living through agriculture. When young people have meaningful work, they become confident, independent, and inspire others.”
He believes agriculture can become more attractive to young people if it is combined with innovation, technology, and even sports, challenging the long-held perception that farming is a punishment rather than a profession.
Looking to the Future
Looking ahead, Meshack hopes to expand Kilimo Halisi into a larger learning centre where more young people and farmers can receive practical training in climate-smart agriculture, greenhouse management, livestock production, and organic farming.
Reflecting on his journey, he credits Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) with giving him the foundation to turn knowledge into opportunity.
"The training and experience I gained through NCA helped me build this vision," he says. “Today, I have the privilege of sharing that knowledge with thousands of farmers while creating employment for other young people. That is something I am truly proud of.”
For Meshack, agriculture is more than a career.
"Agriculture is employment. Agriculture is life. Without agriculture, there is no food, no income, and no future."
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