This summer, Ioanna Sidiropoulou, Head of Operations at Red Deporte y Cooperación, travelled to Mgera, in Tanzania’s Iringa region, as part of our new collaboration with Fundación Agrónomos Sin Fronteras (ASF) and the Agri Sports Development Project (ASDP).
Fundación Agrónomos Sin Fronteras is an NGO dedicated to sustainable development and reducing rural poverty, with a particular focus on Tanzania. The organisation works alongside farmers and their families to improve food security, agricultural knowledge and livelihoods through initiatives such as farmer training, school gardens, sustainable farming and women-led agricultural projects.
Ioanna’s visit gave Red Deporte the opportunity to learn first-hand from ASF and local communities, while exploring how sport can complement existing agricultural and community development initiatives. This collaboration shares a common goal: connecting sport, sustainable agriculture and youth development to help empower communities facing socioeconomic challenges.
Connecting sport and agriculture
The Agri Sports Development Project (ASDP) brings these two areas together through an integrated approach. The project combines youth football clubs, climate-smart agriculture and greenhouses, training and capacity building, infrastructure and resources, competitions, and mechanisms for long-term sustainability.
The initiative envisages establishing 10 youth football clubs across five locations, with both boys’ and girls’ teams. Alongside sporting activities, the clubs offer young people opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in agriculture, leadership, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
The agricultural component includes greenhouses and vegetable production using climate-smart farming techniques, incorporating drip irrigation systems, good agricultural practices, income generation and nutrition. In this way, the project aims not only to create opportunities through sport, but also to connect young people and their families with knowledge and resources that can improve their livelihoods over the long term.
The project also places a strong emphasis on community participation and sustainability, involving local organisations, farmers, schools, community representatives and other partners. The ultimate goal is to create a model in which sport and agriculture reinforce each other: football can foster confidence, teamwork, leadership and wellbeing, while agriculture can provide knowledge, food security and economic opportunities.
Learning from the community
During her stay in Tanzania, Ioanna had the opportunity to visit schools and meet children, young people, teachers and community members, gaining a deeper understanding of their circumstances, needs and aspirations. She also attended and supported football activities and a community tournament, seeing first-hand how sport can create spaces for participation, connection and teamwork.
The visit was not simply about bringing a project from Europe to Tanzania. Above all, it was an opportunity for mutual learning: listening to local communities, getting to know existing initiatives, learning from ASF’s extensive experience, and exploring how Red Deporte’s expertise in sport and social inclusion can complement agricultural development work.
For Red Deporte, this experience represents an important first step towards a collaboration built on the idea that sustainable development is stronger when different sectors and organisations work together. By connecting sport with sustainable agriculture, we aim to help create opportunities that empower children, young people and communities in Tanzania, while also learning from the knowledge and experience already present within these communities.
We would like to thank Agrónomos Sin Fronteras and the communities of Mgera and Iringa for welcoming Ioanna and sharing their knowledge, experiences and vision with us. This is just the beginning of our journey together! ⚽🌱
