RESEARCH PROJECT
The project intervenes in the Ruvuma region, in Tanzania. This initiative intends to implement a governance system that promotes dialogue and synergies between the public and private sectors to develop the dairy industry and improve the quality of local veterinary services through training, research, creation of new employment opportunities and support for 'consortium entrepreneurship, with particular emphasis on the gender component.
Tanzania, despite being one of the richest African countries in terms of natural and food resources, has reached a level of scarcity and serious food insecurity. This has negative consequences on health, especially for the younger age groups (32.1% of children are undernourished, 14% underweight, 37.4% suffer from rickets). The national economy is facing a growing demand for safe milk consumption at an affordable price, which however the local industry cannot guarantee. In fact, milk production in the rural context is mainly intended for domestic consumption only, or for the local informal market. As a result, if the milk is not consumed or sold within a few hours of milking, it is thrown away.
The structural causes of the milk supply chain can be traced back to the poor training of farmers on sustainable farming techniques, a clear lack of milk storage systems common in rural areas, lack of a health control system for traceability of products and animals, and finally, the absence of incentives for the inclusive development of small / medium enterprises and female entrepreneurship.
The direct beneficiaries of the project are 700 small farmers (of which at least 30% are women) and 30 veterinary sector agents; however, the entire population of the Ruvuma region and the adjacent Mtwara and Lindi regions will benefit indirectly. The local project partner is the Mahinya Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Center - CRAS (Mahinya Training Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock/, AID.8178 / FOCSV / TZA).
PROJECT PARTNERS:
