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Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer Program in Tanzania - Arusha

Sustainable Agriculture Volunteer Program in Tanzania - Arusha

If you're passionate about agriculture and wish to volunteer as a Sustainable Agriculture worker in Tanzania, Volunteer After Safari's Sustainable Agriculture initiative is an excellent opportunity to learn, gain experience, and help enhance farming practices in the Arusha community. In addition to participating in agriculture-related activities, volunteers may also assist in community outreach efforts, which involve educating families on ways to optimize small farming plots, as well as cleaning communal spaces and setting up garbage and recycling collection points.

Highlights
  • Programs start on the 1st and 15th of every month

  • Affordable fees from $375 for 1 week

  • Includes accommodation, meals, airport pick up, orientation and 24/7 support

  • Help locals learn about sustainable farming practices

  • Experience Tanzania’s incredible landscapes and wildlife

  • Stay in a town near the spectacular Mt Kilimanjaro

Sustainable Agriculture in Arusha

Promote sustainable farming practices

Volunteers aged 16+ and families

Add on a safari in the Serengeti

Based on community & family farms

Fully hosted experience from $375 for 1 week

Up to 5 hours volunteering a day

Volunteer house or homestay

Durations from 1 - 16 weeks

This program is ideal for:

Active volunteers who like being outdoors, want to learn about sustainable farming practices, and don't mind getting their hands dirty.

What to Expect and how you'll Make an impact

Volunteers will be working with local farmers and community leaders and will gain hands-on experience with local farming techniques, while also sharing their own experiences and valuable input from their own experiences.

The community outreach work will also support the schools our teaching volunteers work in, educating schools on how to plant and grow food to feed their students, and teaching both students and teachers about sustainable agriculture techniques that they can take home and share with their families. There will also be additional options of weekend residential excursions at an additional cost that will provide an opportunity to reach and support further afar rural village Areas.

You can expect to provide support with:

  • Fertiliser application,

  • Raising seedlings,

  • Weeding,

  • Pest control,

  • Watering

  • and more

The work volunteers take part in will vary seasonally, and will depend on the work already underway at the time you join the program.

Are you eligible to volunteer?

Submit a free application so we can confirm your eligibility and check availability for your preferred dates.

Why do Sustainable Agriculture volunteering in Arusha with Volunteer After Safari

As a volunteer farmer in Tanzania you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:

  • Improving farming practices for local communities

  • Helping with farm work outdoors

  • Developing your communication and practical skills

  • Gaining agriculture experience

  • Immersing yourself in Tanzanian culture

  • Discovering Africa’s incredible wildlife

Volunteer requirements

  • Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or friend who is over 18 to participate in this program

  • Volunteers aged 16-18 are required to provide VAS with parental consent in order to participate in the program independently and may be asked to provide additional documentation to the local team

  • All volunteers are required to provide a criminal background check to VAS prior to departure, or if aged under 18 need to provide two character reference letters instead

  • All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance

  • All volunteers must speak fluent English.

Volunteer schedule example

First Day

On the first day of the volunteering placement, you will be escorted to the project by our local staff and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.

 

Weekdays

  • Work and hours are dependent on the project and placement that each volunteer is working at. A typical volunteer day would be as follows:

  • 7:30 AM Breakfast at the volunteer house or homestay.

  • 8:00 AM Volunteers leave home and travel to their placements. Work and hours are dependent on the project and placement that each volunteer is working at.

  • 1:00 PM Work at the placement usually ends. Volunteers are free to travel home for lunch at their accommodation, prepare for the next day or do some shopping and sightseeing.

  • 8:30 PMDinner at the volunteer house or homestay

Weekends

Tanzania is a wildlife lover’s dream. In your free time you can venture out on a safari and see Africa’s Big 5 - lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards and rhino - as well as the mind-blowing number of other species that call Tanzania home.

In Arusha itself you can find great markets, take a few days to hike up the nearby Mt Meru, or learn about the Maasai and Meru tribes of the area. You can also take take a short flight down to Zanzibar for a weekend of sun and sandy beaches or save some time before or after your program to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Accommodation and WiFi

Volunteers in Tanzania are either accommodated in a volunteer house or a​ ​homestay with a host family. Volunteers can expect to share a room with 1 to​ 8 other volunteers of the same gender and volunteer houses can accommodate up to 30 volunteers at a time. Volunteers in homestays can expect to be living with at​ ​least four other volunteers. The volunteer house and homestays have running water and electricity but it is important to note that there are​ ​often power outages which affect the availability of hot water and power.

Bedding is​ ​provided, however, you will need​ ​to bring​ ​your own towel and toiletries. It is​ ​also​ ​recommended to bring​ ​a​ sleeping bag for cooler months and weekends away​.

​In the volunteer house, there is a cook who​ ​​prepares meals for the​ ​volunteers and there is a security guard.​ ​The local​ ​​team​​ are also available on a daily basis​ during the week for support and via phone over the weekend.​

If you would like to keep connected during your stay, we recommend bringing an unlocked mobile phone and purchasing a local SIM card when you arrive in Tanzania. The local team can assist you with purchasing a SIM card during your program orientation. You can also access WiFi from cafes and restaurants in Arusha.

If you would like to arrive a day earlier than your recommended arrival date or wish to spend a few extra nights after finishing your program, we can arrange extra nights of accommodation for you for $35 per person, per night, meals included, subject to availability.

If you would like to arrange extra nights of accommodation, just make a note in your application or contact your VAS Program Manager who will be happy to assist you.

 

Meals

Tanzanian cuisine varies across the country, owing to the difference in produce inland and along the coast. The immigration of Khoja Indians has resulted in local dishes influenced by Indian cuisine. Staple foods in Tanzania include rice, ugali (maize porridge), chapatti and beans.

Volunteers in the volunteer house are served four meals per day. Breakfasts generally consist of eggs served with pancakes, mandazzi (deep fried dough balls) or cake and always plenty of fruit and bread with jam and spread if you prefer toast.

Lunch will be a traditional meat dish (chicken or beef) with a vegetable dish, beans, lentils or cooked vegetables served with rice, pasta, chips or chapatti.

Soup is served around 4pm with bread rolls. homestay houses will not serve soup Dinner will be different to lunch but similar in that it will normally consist of a traditional meat dish (chicken or beef) with a vegetable dish, beans, lentils or cooked vegetables served with rice, pasta or chapatti.

Meals are served at the accommodation, however some fruit can be provided and you can feel free to make a sandwich upon request if your placement is due to finish after lunch time.

Bottled water is readily available in Tanzania and volunteers should budget approximately $5 per week for 2 liters a day. Filtered water is available at the all accommodation it is volunteer preference if you choose to buy water or use the free filtered water.

If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know so we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.

Pricing

1 week.    $345 Equivalent to $49/day

2 weeks.  $515 Equivalent to $37/day

3 weeks   $740 Equivalent to $35/day

4 weeks   $930 Equivalent to $33/day

5 weeks   $1,130 Equivalent to $32/day

6 weeks   $1,330 Equivalent to $32/day

8 weeks   $1,745 Equivalent to $31/day

10 weeks $2,175 Equivalent to $31/day

12 weeks $2,605 Equivalent to $31/day

16 weeks $3,465 Equivalent to $31/day

What included

  • Accommodation

  • Meals

  • 24/7 in-country support

  • In-country program orientation

  • Pre-departure support from your Program Manager

  • Airport pick-up

  • Personalized preparation tools, guides and check lists

  • Discounts on travel and tour add-ons

  • Certificate of International Volunteer Service

"Recommended spending money: Volunteers in Tanzania generally find US$75-100 per week to be sufficient for expenses."

Go off the beaten track with wildly exhilarating Tanzania adventures

From game drives with lion, elephant and rhino to climbing the tallest freestanding mountain in the world and visiting Africa’s ancient tribes - Tanzania offers some of the most awe-inspiring travel opportunities on the planet.

We believe that no volunteer adventure would be complete without experiencing these wonders. That’s why we offer safaris, guided hikes and other tours, exclusively available to VAS  volunteers as affordable add-ons.

Here are just a few of the Tanzania add-ons we offer:

Local Arusha adventures - starting at $70 for one day

Get up close to flamingoes or visit the ancient Maasai tribe - perfect for your! We offer a range of Maasai Village Tours, as well as trips to Moshi and Bushmen/Eyasi.

Safari tours - starting at $260 per day

We offer a range of incredible safari tours and game drives to suit every schedule and budget across Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Serengeti National Parks. Safari tours range from one to four days.

Mount Kilimanjaro hikes - starting at $1400 for five days

Tick something truly epic off your bucket list by climbing Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world and also known as the “Mountain of Greatness”. Guided hiking tours range from five to seven days.

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