By Abdi Ali
Published May 23, 2021
Tanzania and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have signed a US$77.4 million project to cushion 260 000 households against the ravages of climate change.
The Agriculture and Fisheries Development Programme (AFDP) will provide the means for rural people to boost productivity, improve food security and nutrition, and increase their resilience.
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IFAD, that focuses on rural communities, says 31 per cent of the population in rural Tanzania live below the poverty line poverty and that COVID-19 crisis could push another 500 000 Tanzanians into poverty.
Through AFDP, IFAD says it shall target small-scale farmers, small and medium seed producers, artisanal fishers, processors, aquafarmers, seaweed farmers and others in 41 districts in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar Island. Half the beneficiaries shall be women and 30 per cent youth.
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Through the project, IFAD says, 13 000 metric tonnes of quality certified seeds – maize, sunflower and pulses – will be distributed to farmers in a country whose agriculture contributes 29 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employs 66.3 per cent of the population and meets 95 per cent of the country’s food requirements. Eighty per cent of the food produced comes from small-scale farmers who rely on rainfall and have limited access to inputs and information that could help them improve yields.
“To increase protein intake and promote healthy diets in the participating rural households,” IFAD says, “AFDP will help increase the capacity of aquaculture development centers to produce 25 million tilapia fingerlings and 10 million catfish. This will increase the supply and bring down the prices of fish in the local market. The project will also develop kitchen gardens for vegetables and provide training for households on nutrition.”
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“Food security and nutrition is both an indicator and a driver of inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. It is also an investment in the future,” says Francesco Rispoli, IFAD Country Director for Tanzania.
