In an effort to boost poultry farming among youth and women in Dodoma, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI) have joined forces with a variety of stakeholders.
This collaborative venture is set to launch a groundbreaking initiative that promises significant advancements in the local poultry industry.
The initiative, known as the “Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative – Livestock” (AID-L) Tanzania, is supported by a generous US$2 million grant from USAID.
Spanning two years, this project is focused on providing farmers with access to improved breeds of dual-purpose chickens, specifically targeting commercial broilers and layers.
Aimed at reaching 18,000 farmers in both rural and urban areas of Dodoma, the project will offer substantial support through cost-sharing for new and expanding poultry businesses.
Additionally, it will provide advisory services and mass media resources to help reduce poultry morbidity and mortality rates.
The AID-L project will be executed across all eight districts of the Dodoma region. Besides ILRI and TALIRI, the initiative will involve contributions from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and Land O’Lakes Venture37.
Key stakeholders include Silverlands Tanzania Limited, Interchick Company Ltd, and the Poultry Association of Tanzania (PAT).
This effort is a segment of the larger Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) Rapid Delivery Hub. The AID-I is a US$50 million, 36-month project with operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania, aiming to benefit 3 million individuals across these nations.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2021 data, over 80 percent of households in Tanzania keep chickens, significantly contributing to the agricultural GDP.
Indigenous chickens fulfill more than 70 percent of the demand for chicken meat and eggs in rural areas and up to 20 percent in urban locales.
Nationally, approximately 40 million chickens are indigenous breeds, while 32 million are commercial poultry, including 24 million for meat and 8 million for egg production.
