Speaking recently in Igunga District, Tabora Region, Heifer International Tanzania Senior Programme Manager Godfrey Kabuka said that the 300,000 small scale farmers would come from all areas that the organisation currently operates in the country.
Kabuka also said that the vision for Heifer International in Africa is to reach about two million poor farm families and improve their livelihoods in all areas that the organisation is working on.
“Heifer International is working closely with vulnerable families and communities in partnership with relevant stakeholders to improve food and nutrition security, increase income and assets by sharing knowledge, livestock and other resources, empowering women and ensuring environmental sustainability,” he said.
He added: “We are implementing our projects using a sustainable livelihoods approach in supporting diverse, socially appropriate and economically viable, integrated, livestock farming enterprises portfolios that enable resource-poor farm families to build resilience and sustainable livelihoods to overcome abject poverty.”
Kabuka went further by saying that by 2026, Heifer International Tanzania would have assisted about 640,500 small scale farmers, elevating them from poverty and improving their livelihoods.
“Globally, by 2020 we expect to assist about four million poor families who are now living under US$1.25 a day and lift them out of poverty,” he said.
He noted: “We have dairy projects in Southern Highlands in Njombe, Mbeya, Songwe and Iringa regions. Other dairy projects are in Morogoro, Coast and Tanga as well as in Zanzibar at Pemba North, Pemba South, Unguja North and Unguja South. Poultry keeping projects in Lake Zone are in Geita, Shinyanga, Mwanza and Central Zone in Dodoma, Singida and Tabora,” he said.
However, Heifer International is also doing the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Project II, a five-year project designed to help smallholder farm families in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to sustainably improve their livelihoods.
The project hopes to double the dairy income of 136,000 farming households’ smallholder farm families to achieve sustainably improved livelihoods as well as stimulate income growth for an additional 400,000 secondary beneficiaries - in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania by 2018.
The project is mainly funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by five partners: Heifer Project International (lead partner), Technoserve (TNS), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), African Breeders Services Ltd (ABS) and World Agro-forestry Research Centre (ICRAF).
Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. For more than 70 years, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income.
Heifer is currently working in more than 30 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant.
_0.jpg?itok=QU87XW8D){kind=tracking}
.jpeg?itok=vCj6bCRe)
