Dairy
Modern milk production systems connecting farmers to processors and markets.
Tanzania
Overview
Tanzania is a coastal country in East Africa with apopulation of 67 million people, around 60 percent of whom are under age 25. The country has experienced relatively strong economic growth in recent years and has enormous potential in its agricultural sector, which employs 66 percent of the population and contributes 24 percent of the gross domestic product. Nearly half the country’s land mass is suitable for growing crops and raising animals, but only one-third of this land is currently cultivated.
Agriculture is dominated by smallholder farmers who must contend with limited land size and productivity; inadequate access to innovation, mechanization and finance; and insufficient infrastructure. It is particularly hard for women farmers to access the resources required to build resilient livelihoods. As a result, the poverty rate was nearly 45 percent in 2018, and food insecurity persists; nearly one-third of children under age 5 have impaired growth due to undernutrition. The Tanzanian government has prioritized investing in agriculture to accelerate and expand the country’s development progress and drive continued economic and social advancement for vulnerable households.
Strategic Value Chains
Poultry
Integrated chicken production creating jobs and nutrition security.
Sunflower
SunflowersHigh-value, climate-smart oilseeds production for diverse markets.
Horticulture
High-value vegetable and fruit production for domestic and regional markets.
Red Meat
Improved breeding, feeding, market systems for enhanced value and incomes.
Heifer has worked alongside farmers and partners in Tanzania for 50 years. Our approach is tailored to current needs and development goals, embracing partnerships with the government and public and private sectors to strengthen select value chains that are inclusive of and profitable for smallholder farmers.
Our projects prioritize engaging women and youth; unlocking access to technology, innovation and finance; providing technical and business support to help farmers and farmer producer organizations (FPOs) collectively expand their operations; and facilitating market connections to create a foundation for sustainable agricultural growth.
Our primary objective is helping families achieve a sustainable living income, our measure for the amount of money required for a decent life — including safe shelter, nutritious food, clothing, education and health care — while also reaching additional benchmarks for economic and climate resilience.
The Tanzania Signature Program
Heifer International’s work is organized at the country level into Signature Programs focused on large-scale, measurable and sustainable impact achieved by building partnerships at all levels. Each program supports farmers through time-bound projects designed to increase their household income.
Featured Projects
Farmer Visibility Mastercard
The Farmer Visibility Mastercard project utilizes Mastercard’s Community Pass, a digital service platform, to connect rural farmers to digital infrastructure, including financial systems; supply providers; extension services, such as support with cultivation and plant health; and other resources to improve sunflower production.
By enhancing smallholder farmers’ presence in and access to technical and business networks, the project intends to increase their participation in the lucrative domestic oilseed market, with a target of benefitting 100,000 smallholder farmers and creating 1,000 jobs for youth.
Tanzania Inclusive Processor Producer Partnerships in Dairy
A government, private sector and NGO collaboration, the Tanzania Inclusive Processor Producer Partnerships in Dairy (TI3p) project is working to boost the incomes of 88,000 smallholder dairy producers through improved milk production, collection and processing capacities and market development.
Heifer provides technical and business management training to farmers’ groups, farmer producer organizations and community agrovets to strengthen farm-level production and enterprise growth at the farmer producer organization level, with a focus on women’s participation. Heifer also facilitates connections between value chain actors, establishing the networks required to effectively and sustainably develop the dairy sector.
AgResults Tanzania Climate-Smart Dairy Prize Competition
As part of the broader $231 million Climate-Smart Dairy Transformation Project (CSDTP), the competition rewards companies that expand farmers’ access to productivity-enhancing inputs and fodder solutions, with quarterly and grand-prize payments that drive innovation and scale. Expected outcomes include 82% productivity gains per cow, 7,500 MT of improved fodder production, stronger farmer incomes, and deeper integration into formal dairy value chains, contributing to long-term resilience and competitiveness of Tanzania’s dairy sector.
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Partners
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Mastercard Inc.
- Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries
- Tanager/Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture (IGNITE)
- Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB)
- Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC)
- Tanzania Dairy Board
“I received the education that helped me and helped my community. After training with Heifer, I started teaching pastoralists how to farm better and solve various challenges. As a service provider in this community, I help them.”
Contact Heifer in Tanzania
Partner with Heifer International Africa to scale proven solutions, build enabling environments, and invest in profitable agribusinesses that create lasting change for our smallholder farmers.
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