Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement
Chairperson TOAM Board Dr. Mwatima Juma
Chief Executive Officer TOAM Bakari Mongo
Bakari Mongo is the CEO of TOAM and the Secretary of TOAM’s Board.
Mongo, who is originally from Mwanza in Northwest Tanzania, studied agriculture at the Sokoine University in Morogoro and has a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the Institute of Rural Development Planning in Dodoma. In addition he finished a one-year program on Financial Corporate Management in Moshi. Before joining our team he worked at an international confederation as Project Manager for Good Governance in Morogoro.
As head of TOAM, Mongo oversees the implementation of the organizational strategy and leads the planning process, program development and project implementation. He is responsible for TOAM’s governance and management systems, as well as overlooking financial and human resources and reporting to the Board, members and donors.
Finance and Administration Manager Sandra Haule
Sandra is responsible for financial reporting, accounting, administration, financial monitoring and procurement. She has a Bachelor degree in Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam and is currently engaged in a Master’s program on Finance at the University of Strathclyde Tanzania. Originally, Sandra is from Mgazini in Songea Region.
Organic agriculture for Sandra means “a better way of living. Once you know about the importance of food quality you start taking better care of what your family and friends consume. You start supporting a sustainable way of agriculture, without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or genetically modified organisms simply because you begin to understand the risks implied. You start believing in a new way of natural food production that balances the profits with the impacts on society and nature.”
Information & Communication Anatory Gabriel
As Communication and Information, Anatory is responsible for press and media releases, publications, communication with farmers and members, social media and organizational communication. Anatory comes from Mwanza on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Marketing from the Saint Augustine University in Mwanza, Bachelor Degree in Law from Tumaini University and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Mzumbe University in Dar es Salaam. Before joining TOAM Anatory worked as an Assistant Secretary of Financial Institutions for the Tanzanian Union of Industrial and Commercial Workers, (TUICO)
Organic for Anatory “means a lot. It is important for me to know how to save the environment and know how to get healthy food. I would like to support people knowing about preserving and conserving our environment through agriculture.”
Finance and Administration Officer Nilian Mulashani
As TOAM’s accountant, Nilian prepares accounting records, documents financial transactions by entering account information, summarizes current financial status by collecting information, prepares the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and other reports, prepares payment information and supports the Finance and Administration Manager. Before joining TOAM, Nilian worked as a primary school teacher. She has a Certificate of Education from the Eckernforde Tanga University and is currently working on an Advance Diploma in Accounting at the Tumaini University in Moshi. Nilian comes from the Karagwe district in the North of Tanzania.
When asked about organic, Nilian said: “When I look at organic I think of health. The way of organic is healthy not only on one level. It starts with soil treatment, continues with water supply, cultivation, avoidance of pesticide, way of harvesting, transportation and ends up in the final product for the end consumers.”
Project Coordinator - TABIO Abdallah Mkindi
Abdallah is the Coordinator of TABIO (Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity), an alliance of civil society and private sector organizations concerned with biodiversity conservation with an emphasis on agricultural biodiversity for livelihood security and food sovereignty. As coordinator, Abdallah organizes TABIO members and implements project activities. Abdallah is from Tanga, in the north of Tanzania. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro and a Master’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Zimbabwe in Harare as well as a Master’s in Human Ecology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Organic for Abdallah is “using natural inputs in agriculture.”
Assistant Organic Guarantee Systems (OGS) Officer Mapambano Petro Nyabenda
As OGS-Assistant officer, Mapambano assists in facilitating trainings on organic agriculture and Internal Quality Management System (IQMS). He also assists producers to process organic certification as well as providing technical advice to organizational members and other stakeholders on organic production and certification.
Mapambano Petro Nyabenda comes from Kigoma region in western Tanzania. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro Tanzania.
For Mapambano, Organic “means the farming system that principally enhances mutual benefits to producer, consumers, soil and the earth as the universe through its principles of health, care, fairness and ecology."