Worldvegesa

Strong seed systems are essential for improving farmers’ access to quality seed and building more resilient vegetable value chains.

World Vegetable Center, with support from AGRA, hosted a learning visit in Arusha for a team from the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), focused on knowledge co-creation for strengthening the chilli seed system.

The visit created space for technical exchange across key areas of the seed value chain, including vegetable seed systems, product profile development, market demands, breeding strategies, seed production, seed health, quality assurance, and seed multiplication planning.

The team also engaged in practical learning through a genebank tour, hands-on chilli and vegetable seed extraction, private-sector exposure, and field visits to chilli seed multiplication sites.

This exchange highlights the value of regional collaboration in connecting research, practical learning, and implementation to improve access to quality seed and respond to farmers’ needs.

At WorldVeg, we value partnerships that turn knowledge into practical solutions for stronger seed systems and more resilient food systems.

Our People - Investing in Talent, Strengthening Culture, and Creating Sustainable Value

It is with distinct honor that the World Vegetable Center Arusha Office welcomed our Global Human Resources Director, Jocelyn F. Pilapil, JD, and delegation to our offices this week.

Her visit serves as a timely reminder that investing in people remains central to the sustainability of future-thinking institutions. Through dynamic policies that respond to the challenges of changing times, culture transformation anchored in institutional values, and meaningful stakeholder engagement, organizations are better positioned to strengthen talent, foster an inclusive and high-performing culture, and deliver their mandate with effectiveness, efficiency, and lasting impact.

As organizations navigate an evolving landscape, effective human resource leadership plays a critical role in fostering innovation, strengthening collaboration, and embedding values that inspire high performance. Through progressive people-centered policies and culture transformation, institutions are better equipped to deliver on their mandate with effectiveness, efficiency, and purpose.

We look forward to the valuable engagements and shared insights that will continue to strengthen our people, culture, and collective impact in advancing WorldVeg’s mission.

CRDB Bank Foundation is strengthening financial linkages for youth farmers under the AGRA YEFFA Project in Siha, Kilimanjaro, Mto wa Mbu, and Manyara.

This initiative builds on the partnership between CRDB Bank Foundation and World Vegetable Centre, which supports smallholder farmers through access to quality seeds, sustainable farming practices, and agribusiness development opportunities.

Through the AGRA YEFFA Project, young farmers are being connected to financial services and resources that will help them grow their enterprises, increase productivity, and improve livelihoods.

Together, CRDB Bank Foundation and World Vegetable Center are empowering youth with the knowledge, finance, and opportunities needed to build a more resilient and productive agricultural sector in Tanzania.

This week, World Vegetable Center Arusha team had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Thomas Bwana, Director General of the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), for a productive engagement focused on strengthening collaboration for agricultural innovation in Tanzania.

TARI remains an important partner to WorldVeg in advancing vegetable breeding, supporting technology transfer, and improving farmers’ access to improved varieties and agricultural innovations. Through this partnership, we continue working together to enhance sustainable vegetable production, strengthen food and nutrition security, and support smallholder farmers across the country.

We appreciate the continued collaboration and shared commitment to transforming agriculture through research, innovation, and farmer-centered solutions.

The World Vegetable Center is inviting suppliers, consultants, and service providers to explore current procurement opportunities and register as vendors. Together, we can advance sustainable food systems, healthier diets, and resilient livelihoods worldwide.

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It was a pleasure welcoming Dr. Gabriel Rugalema, Associate Director General at World Vegetable Center Africa, to Arusha.

Meaningful dialogue does not only happen in formal meetings. Some of the most strategic conversations take place during field visits, over shared reflections, and in spaces where ideas, challenges, and opportunities can be discussed openly.

Constructive, curious, and forward-looking engagement is essential for strengthening partnerships, advancing innovation, and building resilient food systems that deliver impact for communities across the region.
The real value of dialogue lies not only in exchanging ideas, but in translating insights into action, collaboration, and long-term solutions.

Building resilient agriculture begins with research. By screening tomato varieties for resistance to bacterial wilt, scientists identify crops that can withstand disease and support sustainable food production.

But the work does not stop in the laboratory. Through grafting, farmers combine high-yielding tomato varieties with disease-resistant rootstocks, turning scientific knowledge into practical protection against crop loss.

Healthy plants are the foundation of food security, stronger livelihoods, and thriving communities. Protecting plant health today helps secure a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

Some of the greatest threats to agriculture are invisible to the naked eye.

Through laboratory diagnosis, scientists can identify harmful pathogens like bacterial wilt and help farmers respond before losses spread further.

Plant health starts with science, innovation, and timely action.

What should have been a nutritious harvest ends here softened, split, and wasted. While these crops were grown with care, the journey from farm to table remains perilous. Wooden crates, though traditional, often leave vegetables vulnerable to pests, diseases, and contamination that can spread unnoticed across fields, with studies showing damage rates as high as a quarter of the produce.

By shifting to safer options like plastic crates, as World Vegetable Center emphasizes, we protect the harvest, safeguard food security, and honor the labor behind every crop. Healthy borders, healthy harvests - plant biosecurity begins with how we care for what we grow.

To learn more, please visit the WorldVeg Arusha office and connect with our postharvest team.

A healthy crop can decline in just a short time when plant diseases strike.
Behind every wilted tomato plant is a threat to food security, livelihoods, and farmer resilience.

On this International Day of Plant Health, we recognize the importance of early detection and sustainable solutions to protect our crops and communities.