In Bagamoyo, Women Pioneer Seaweed Farming to Protect Coastal Ecosystems
"[Green] seaweeds absorb carbon dioxide from the surrounding water and air during photosynthesis, help to mitigate ocean acidification, and reduce the impact of climate change."
Oceans account for 71% of the world’s surface but are slapped with a myriad of challenges, including microplastic and mercury pollution, climate change, ocean acidification, loss of coral reefs, and overfishing. These issues affect oceans around the world and are actively being tackled by many resilient individuals, initiatives, and organizations, amid global political and socioeconomic troubles.
Among the various solutions that have been developed to protect our marine ecosystems, one standout is seaweed farming. Presently, it is practiced across the globe, particularly in the waters of the Pacific Northwest by US farmers, the Tamil Nadu and Gujarat coasts of India, Ariake Sea in Japan, and by the Bagamoyo Community along Tanzania’s Indian Ocean Coast.
Bagamayo is a coastal town in the Pwani Region of Tanzania with deep history. It is the capital of Bagamoyo District but was once the capital of German East Africa, an ivory and slave trading port, a settlement for Muslim Omani families, and a victim of the severe devastation of the First World War. The town’s history goes back many centuries, but much of it was established between the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Bagamoyo’s oceans face the same environmental threats as others around the world, prompting a young science teacher, Zuhura Ahmad, to take action.
Ahmad works with the town’s municipal government and other local non-governmental organizations to mobilize young women in the community to restore the deteriorating ocean ecosystem through seaweed farming. The farming processes lead to a reduction in ocean acidification and production of a variety of products from the seaweed, which are eventually used to create lotion, toothpastes, and oils.
Ahmad spoke to The Habibat Project about her stewardship with the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), and how she intends to collaborate with 100 Bagamoyo women to not only restore their community’s ocean systems but maximize the full potential of seaweed farming.
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity).
Tell us about the woman, Zuhura Ahmad. Tell us about your background and inspirations.
I am Zuhura Ahmad. I work with “Youth4Nature” as the global ambassador. I am a science teacher, and I teach chemistry and biology and [that is where] the environmentalism inspiration comes from. Since high school, I have been very inspired to work with environmental organizations and clubs; when I got to university, I joined some of the university chapters working in the environmental arena. I volunteered in such kinds of activities, including cleanups, restorations, and tree planting. Over time, the passion grew, and in August 2023, I came up with the idea of “She Shapes Nature,” that actually works on empowering young women in seaweed farming in a nature-based economy. I introduced the idea to “Youth4Nature,” and it started as “storytelling” in order to gather the voices of young women on what they were doing, the challenges, and the lessons learned. So, when it came to [the] challenges, [I sought] to support them in terms of resources and materials to scale up the year's work. In October 2023, I started to collect the stories, and in 2024, I got the chance to work with them in terms of capacity building, because I realized they lacked the resources, knowledge, and education in ocean restoration, which includes seaweed farming. I have been working together with the government, communities, but with the support of “Youth4Nature,” and in December, 2024, I got the Ocean Restoration Steward Award.
Can you elaborate on how exactly your seaweed farming initiative is able to restore coastal ecosystems?
There’s land-based agriculture, but when it comes to seaweed farming, we do not use the soil, fertilizer, or land. Sustainable seaweed farming restores the ocean, and we support young women in shifting to ocean-based farming; this contributes to marine biodiversity by creating the habitats for marine life and improving water quality. What we do actually reduces marine pollution, because we not only advocate for seaweed farming, but for waste management practices. [Green] seaweeds absorb carbon dioxide from the surrounding water and air during photosynthesis, help to mitigate ocean acidification, and reduce the impact of climate change. It contributes to long-term carbon sequestration and acts as a natural carbon sink. It also supports mangroves and coral reefs restoration, as they rely on healthy water conditions and biodiversity. I said earlier that capacity building in ocean restoration is saddled with advocacy and storytelling. We do not do this alone. We partner with the local government to provide resources, technical skills, and market access for the young women. Generally, these actions are driven by commitment, not only [to] restore the ocean ecosystem, but also ensure that the women can thrive sustainably.
Can you describe the seaweed planting process?
It is a straightforward but systematic process that involves selecting a suitable farming site, which is very critical for successful seed cultivation. For example, you can observe the water condition for ocean water that is not polluted. Ocean water is salty water, and the shallow area is where the seaweed can grow. [This is] simply because the seaweed grows at a stable salinity level and temperature, which needs to range from 20°C to 30°C. To do it, we use pegs. We place those two pegs in shallow water and, in between, we attach the ropes, because the seaweed will hang on the ropes. When in the shore area, we tie the seaweed seeds onto the ropes and, afterwards, drive the two pegs [into the ground], so the line that contains the seaweed will hang between the two pegs while in the ocean.
What major challenges have you encountered in seaweed farming, especially in terms of community engagement, funding, or other technical barriers?
I can say the challenge is fundraising — the issue of fundraising in order to support these women and girls to be able to unlock their potential in ocean restoration. When I started, I realized that they really needed support in terms of education, because seaweed farming is not only about farming, but value addition; so after they harvest, what is next? They need to transport and create value from that seaweed into different kinds of products. That was one of the things that they lacked. Currently, they are able to make soap, oil, and lotions. We are focusing on basic cultivation methods with potential for growth in terms of market integration and value-added products, but there are some regions, including Zanzibar, where there are more innovations. While seaweed farming is present in Bagamoyo, it may not yet have adopted as many advanced farming techniques or value-addition methods, so the innovation here is in its early stage. Also, I have realized in seaweed farming that there are more women of the age of forty-to-fifty, and small numbers of young women. That is a really big gap, so we need to include young women. As we know, young people have skills, knowledge, capacity, energy, and are active, so we need to engage them, so that we can create more innovations and be able to scale up into more impactful sectors.
The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) recognized your work with the award. Congratulations. How did you find yourself becoming a steward with funding to conduct your projects?
Thank you. For me, it started with [an] application. I saw the [call for] applications and was interested. I noticed I fit the criteria, because it was all about the things that I was doing on the ground. Of course, I really needed the support, not only in terms of finance, but also in terms of mentorship, learning, experience, exposure, and to connect with more people to see how they can support the project as well, so I applied and got selected. It was a big competition with more than 300 young people. After being selected, I got to be interviewed and the relationship started. I introduced the project that I wanted to do and now we can build a strong relationship.
It is mentioned in your bio that you want to directly impact over 100 women by the end of 2025. What unique strategies will you be implementing to be able to achieve this milestone?
To reach that number of young women is not so hard, but it actually needs the [right] strategies. I've already been working with 35 young women, and in the Bagamoyo community, there are so many groups of women that are actually working on ocean restoration, but they lack support. Because of the capacity and resources that I had before, I was able to impact the 35 young women. Now, because I'll get more support, I'll be able to support more than that. I will be working with the local government, NGOs in Bagamoyo Municipal, and those 35 young women to recruit more young women in order to reach that milestone. The women know their fellows; when it comes to local government, they know their people, and that will make it easy for us to be trusted by the people, because they will introduce us to them. That will be the number one strategy, and we can then work on the NEEDS assessments to identify the needs and support that they actually require in order to continue working on ocean restoration. The assessment and evaluation will follow up, maybe in three months, to see how we are progressing. What challenges are there? What areas need to be improved? Then we can see how to move together.