Building capacity for Arusha City council

Building Capacity for Safer Food Systems in Arusha

In our ongoing commitment to strengthening food systems governance at the local level, our team in collaboration with Rikolto recently concluded a targeted capacity-building workshop with members of the Arusha City Council. The focus: food safety and food systems a cornerstone of public health, market development, and sustainable urban agriculture.

Why Food Safety Matters Now More Than Ever
Urbanization, growing consumer awareness, and increasing demand for traceable, high-quality food have made food safety a critical policy area. For a rapidly developing city like Arusha  with bustling markets, growing agribusiness potential, and a vibrant hospitality sector — strong food safety systems are not just about compliance; they’re about unlocking value, protecting livelihoods, and fostering trust from farm to fork.

What We Did
Our capacity-building sessions were designed to address critical knowledge gaps in the city council’s current food systems oversight. Through presentations, case studies, and interactive group work, we tackled:

• Key principles of food safety regulations and international benchmarks
  
• The role of local government in monitoring, enforcing, and promoting good practices
  
• Risk assessment frameworks to guide decision-making
  
• Opportunities for integrating food safety into urban planning and food market management
  
• Cross-sector collaboration models between health, agriculture, and trade departments
  
• We also introduced practical tools to support inspection routines, vendor education, and early-warning systems for contamination risks in informal markets.

Outcomes and Next Steps
The engagement revealed strong enthusiasm within the Arusha City Council to not only implement best practices but also champion a system-wide approach to food safety. Participants expressed interest in:

• Establishing a cross-department food safety working group
  
• Improving market infrastructure to meet hygiene standards
  
• Piloting traceability programs in priority value chains
  
• Hosting regular training for food vendors and handlers
  

Looking Ahead
This session is part of a broader push to enhance food systems governance in urban Tanzania. We are proud to support local councils like Arusha in taking bold steps toward safer, more resilient, and more inclusive food environments.

At the heart of it all is a simple belief: safe food is smart policy — for health, for trade, and for the future of our cities.