ILRI partnership with private sector turns young woman’s pastime into a thriving poultry agribusiness in Tanzania

In Tanzania, like in many African countries, many women keep poultry as a means of contributing to their households’ incomes and food security.

This venture requires relatively low capital investment compared to rearing other livestock, but women farmers still face significant challenges, including high chick mortality rates, poultry disease outbreaks, and limited access to training, veterinary services and inputs.

To improve access to crucial poultry agribusiness resources in Tanzania and Zambia, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has partnered with Land O’ Lakes Venture 37, the private sector and other stakeholders to establish the Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative – Livestock program.

Focused on women and the youth, this initiative is helping to ensure sustainable access to improved dual-purpose chicken breeds, bundled advisory services, start-up and scale-up financing, vaccines and poultry farm technologies.

‘This project is part of ILRI’s partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders in Tanzania to co-design sustainable science-based livestock business models that contribute to the resilience of food systems in Tanzania,’ explains Amos Omore, ILRI regional representative, eastern and southern Africa.

Since its inception in May 2024, the initiative has trained 80 chick brooders—42 men and 38 women, of whom 25 were youth under 35 years old—from four districts in Tanzania’s Dodoma Region.

One of these is 20-year-old Grace Mteli, the youngest woman brooder in Iringa Mvumi Village, Chamwino District.

Grace has turned what began as a hobby into a thriving business using the knowledge and skills acquired from the initiative.

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Photo: Poultry farming in Tanzania (ILRI/Stefano Bianco)

Curated by Tezira Lore, Communications Officer, ILRI