Tanzania launches Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative-Livestock project to boost poultry productivity

Tanzania has launched the Accelerated Innovations Delivery Initiative-Livestock (AIDI-L) project to enhance poultry productivity and embed innovative solutions in the poultry value chain. Launched on 14 May 2024 in Dodoma, Tanzania, the USD 2 million project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). It will be implemented by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in partnership with Land O’Lakes Venture37.   

By December 2025, the project is expected to reach 18,000 smallholder poultry farmers in Tanzania though private sector-led innovations focused on women and youth, women- and youth-focused innovations in poultry; facilitate access to 200,000 day-old-chicks; support establishment of two incubation cluster hubs and 200 brooder agri-entrepreneurs. The project is also expected to increase links with offtake markets and reach 400,000 households through poultry vaccination and media campaigns. 

Speaking at the launch, the guest of honour, Dodoma regional commissioner, Rosemary Senyamvule, reiterated the government’s commitment to support the intervention. She lauded the initiative, highlighting its potential to support national efforts to improve food and nutrition security and income for smallholder farmers. 

‘We are ready to accelerate the mission to realize the contribution of the AIDI-L project to the country’s economic development, employment creation and food and nutrition security.’   

She further added that the project has the potential to spur chicken production considering its focus on addressing the various production challenges faced by poultry farmers in Dodoma such as lack of improved breeds, and pests and diseases management. 

The regional commissioner challenged ILRI and Land O’Lakes Venture37 to have a diversified and inclusive approach in implementing the project that encompasses various aspects of the poultry value chain such as effective chicken feed production given the availability of raw materials for feed formulation. With proper implementation of the AIDI-L interventions, she said, Dodoma Region will not only become self-sufficient in poultry production but also sell to other regions in Tanzania and abroad.  

Kevin Kabunda, AIDI-L chief of party, emphasized that smallholders, who are key to food security and local economies, are the cornerstone of the project: 

‘The project design is meant to help smallholder farmers mitigate the increasing costs of food and production caused by rising fuel and fertilizer prices, as well as the crisis in Ukraine. It also supports resilience to climate-related shocks.’  

In its three-year life cycle AID-L is expected to contribute to food and nutrition security for three million farmers in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Zambia launched the AIDI-L project in October 2023. 

Kabunda added that the project will also enhance resilient agri-food systems by addressing challenges such as climate change, pests and diseases, efficient use of land, nutritious food options for low-income consumers, and technology adoption. 

‘This will be achieved through building capacity of individuals and institutions to respond to future food emergencies and crises.’ 

He emphasized the importance of timely access to farming inputs for smallholders in rural communities to effectively enable them increase productivity to ensure nutrition security not only at household level, but across the regions and country.

He noted that the Tanzania livestock master plan is integral to the Agriculture Sector Development Plan, the main government strategy for the sector. This plan prioritizes value chains that significantly contribute to Tanzania's economy, with poultry and dairy identified as the top two.

 ‘Collaborating with ILRI, AIDI-L has chosen to focus on these two value chains, aiming to make a meaningful contribution to livelihoods, not only in your region but beyond.’   

Junior Ndesanjo, project management specialist – agriculture at USAID in Tanzania, called for the introduction of innovative soya production technologies to address the low local production of feed ingredients, which has led to reliance on imports. 

In the East African region, Tanzania produces more chicken than neighbouring Kenya and Uganda, with its market growth increasing steadily at 5% to reach USD 403 million by 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This growth has been sustained by rising urbanization and disposable incomes, which are boosting chicken consumption. But improved breeds account for less than 5% of the chicken population in Tanzania, translating into opportunities for investments in day-old chicks, hatcheries and research. 

Amos Omore, ILRI’s representative in eastern and southern Africa, called for concerted efforts of all partners in implementing the project and highlighted the importance of accelerating the innovations and delivering results within the 18-months. 

Omore also revealed that the livestock sector receives only 5% of resource allocation for investment in agricultural development, despite livestock contributing significantly to agricultural GDP in many African countries. For instance, livestock represents 27% of agricultural GDP in Tanzania, 42% in Zambia, 40% in Kenya and 86% in Somalia. 

‘We need to be able to have a more balanced investment in developing farmers’ livelihoods in correlation with its contribution to the agriculture development. We need to get more resources into livestock that is correlated with its contribution to the livelihoods of people.’ 

Amos added, ‘If you look at the top 10 foods worldwide in terms of value, you'll find that five or six are livestock-sourced, such as milk, eggs, meat and fish. This underscores the importance of this project in promoting income generation and employment through greater engagement in the livestock sector.’  

Dai Harvey, the group director for Technical Impact and Innovation, Land O’ Lakes Venture37, elaborated on AIDI-L interventions and delivery models to achieve the desired objectives: expand access to improved breeds of dual-purpose backyard village chickens, commercial broilers and layers; support cost-share of start-ups and scale-ups; and reduce morbidity and mortality of poultry through advisories and mass media. 

The launch was attended by over 40 participants, including representatives from poultry hatcheries, feed manufacturers, vendors, input distributors, government departments, and development partners such as USAID, CIMMYT, Land O’Lakes Venture37, ILRI, and the media.

See some media highlights of the project launch. 

A USD 2 million worth project launched to assist poultry farmers in Dodoma Region

Poultry farmers in Dodoma to benefit from the USD 2 million worth robust project