Recent Advances in the Tanzania Project: New partnerships and new tools

David Paul Blessings meeting with representatives from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University and Cornell University.

Since 2023, Remineralize the Earth has partnered with Engineers Without Borders – Tanzania (EWB-Tanzania) to produce and distribute an all natural fertilizer. The project is providing locally sourced rock powders to small scale farmers, offering a local and sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers. With this affordable, natural fertilizer, farmers will be able to regenerate soils. Healthier soils will grow more nutritious foods, increase yields and income, create food security, and store atmospheric carbon in the soil.

In 2024, as the project has expanded its reach, it has been seeking partnerships with other organizations working on sustainable agriculture projects in Tanzania. Since November 2023, Engineers without Borders has worked in collaboration with Cornell University and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University. The goal is to create a STEM curriculum for university students centered around agriculture and sustainability. 

The curriculum includes plant science, irrigation practices, and food security, health and climate mitigation components. EWB- Tanzania’s president, David Paul Blessings, has presented the curriculum to Engineers Without Borders-International and the University of Dar es Salaam. EWB-Tanzania has also proposed the STEM curriculum to Bentley University in the United States to help promote the project and to raise funds to promote implementation of the curriculum in schools across Tanzania. 

Another major development of the last year for the Tanzania project has been the improvements of Rutubisha rock dust natural fertilizer production. Creating the necessary infrastructure to produce a low cost, quality product has been a major accomplishment of the project. At the production site, they have constructed a shade structure to protect the machinery from weather and allow workers to process and mix the material in the middle of the day. They have also purchased a ball mill grinder, which will process the mineral fines purchased from a local quarry into a finer powder, which is optimal for high quality agricultural results. Finally, they have purchased an industrial mixer to allow them to accurately and efficiently blend their different fertilizer components. 

Another accomplishment of the project is the identification of many other potential quarries suitable for sourcing rock dust. Having multiple sites across Tanzania will reduce distribution costs as they can produce the fertilizer alternative regionally. 

In the last year, the project has partnered with two vegetable farmers and one banana farmer in the Morogoro region, an avocado farming institution in the Tanga region, a bell pepper farmer at Bomang’ombe farm in Hai district, Kilimanjaro region, one amaranth farmer in the coastal region, and one maize farmer at Uchira in Moshi district, Kilimanjaro region. These regional partners have been given rock dust and are serving as demonstration plots where it will be possible to present the efficacy of the fertilizer across different soil types and climates across four regions of Tanzania.

In 2024 the goal is to improve the Rutubisha Fertilizer following field trial results, which will enable us to apply rock dust to about 500 acres. Potential collaboration with companies such as Mati Carbon and Flux may allow the project to expand their reach and impact even further, which would in turn promote food security for the people of Tanzania. If you want to help the project grow, you can donate through our fundraising campaign.

Rasmus Sayre is a former volunteer for Peace Corps Madagascar. He studied Political Science and Economics at Eckerd College. In his junior year, he was shortlisted for the school’s writing excellence award, given to the handful of students showing the highest level of writing and research aptitude. Rasmus is a passionate outdoorsman and came to environmentalism through an appreciation for his time spent outside. He feels that at the intersection of socioeconomic progress and environmental protection lies our planet’s greatest challenge. Therefore, Rasmus is excited about the climate solution that Remineralization and Enhanced Rock Weathering provides and is eager to help spread the word.