National Milk Week – 2025

 

Heifer Tanzania’s Role for Advancing Inclusive Dairy Development was Spotlighted During National Milk Week by the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Dr. Ashatu Kijaji.

Heifer’s contribution to dairy transformation was recently recognized at National Milk Week 2025 celebrations held in Morogoro, Tanzania from 27th -1st June 2025. Themed: “Maziwa Salama kwa Afya Bora na Uchumi Endelevu” (Safe Milk for Better Health and Sustainable Economy), the event attracted hundreds of stakeholders across the dairy value chain farmers, cooperatives, processors, financiers, and policymakers. The organization was honored by the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Ashatu Kijaji, with a Certificate of Appreciation for its pivotal role in advancing the dairy sector. The Minister also managed to visit Heifer’s exhibition booth. In her remarks, the Minister applauded Heifer’s longstanding efforts to transform the dairy sector and emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration for greater impact across the country.

“Heifer International has demonstrated a strong commitment to uplifting smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. Let us continue working together to build a competitive, inclusive dairy sector,” noted the Minister during her visit.

Driving Public Dialogue and Awareness

Heifer’s vibrant exhibition drew hundreds of visitors and earned wide media coverage including mentions in national outlets like The Guardian, Daily News, and regional radio stations. Through interactive displays, staff demonstrated the impact of initiatives like the Tanzania Inclusive Processor-Producer Partnership in Dairy (TI3P) project and highlighted successful stories from the community also leveraged Heifer’s social media accounts.

Thought Leadership at the Dairy Stakeholders Platform

One of the key milestone was Heifer’s facilitation of a dedicated session at the Dairy Stakeholders Platform, where Nyamate Musobi presented on “The Role of Women and Youth in the Transformation of the Dairy Sector.” Drawing from Heifer’s experience, the session addressed gender-based barriers such as access to land, finance, market mobility, and cultural norms.

Access to Markets and Growing Confidence

The group also received guidance on how to access markets for their honey, helping them address the longstanding challenge of connecting with buyers and growing their customer base.

“We didn’t even have the knowledge and skills to produce honey and wax in a modern way,” she recalled. But with training and support, she and her fellow beekeepers improved the quality of their production and gained access to reliable buyers.

Workeye now harvests more honey than ever before, and she earns enough to cover household expenses and send her children to school.

“With the market linkage created with the Asosa government employees’ consumer association, we are now able to sell the honey at a reasonable price, which contributes significantly to my family’s income and, I’m educating my children at the nearby school,” she added.

The presentation emphasized:

Intentional inclusion of women and youth in Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

Gender-responsive financing in collaboration with TADB

Success of youth-led innovations like ECO MILK under the AyuTe Africa Challenge

This session prompted strong engagement from policymakers and development partners, with several expressing interest in replicating Heifer’s models in other regions.

Building an Inclusive Future for Dairy

Heifer Tanzania’s showcased results are the outcome of a decades-long commitment to community-driven development, social capital building, and market systems. From forming 52,000+ self-help groups to investing in over 1200 community animal health workers, the organization’s integrated approach continues to strengthen the dairy value chain from farm to market.

Co-Creating the Future: Stakeholder Workshop for Strategic Plan Development

Heifer also seized the opportunity to convene a strategic stakeholders’ workshop during Milk Week. The session was part of an ongoing process to gather input toward Heifer Tanzania’s new 5-Year Strategic Plan. The upcoming strategy aims to position the organization “Beyond Cows” broadening its impact beyond dairy to include poultry, horticulture, edible oils, and climate-smart agricultural value chains.

Participants from Government and its agencies, private sector, NGOs, and farmer groups contributed insights on market trends, resilience building, youth integration, and systemic inclusion laying the groundwork for a forward-looking strategy aligned with national priorities.

Looking Ahead: Inclusive, Climate-Smart Dairy for All

Heifer Tanzania’s participation in National Milk Week reaffirmed its commitment to building a vibrant, equitable, and climate-resilient dairy sector. With its sights set on reaching 400,000 smallholder families by 2030 under the TRANSFORM.ag Signature Program the organization continues to champion collaborative innovation, gender equity, and farmer-led market development.