Tanga. Young in Tanga Region are making significant strides in development through dairy farming, thanks to support from the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) in partnership with Solidaridad East Africa.
To address the challenge of youth unemployment, TADB and Solidaridad have launched a unique initiative known as the Youth Farm Settlement (YFS) under the Dairy 2025 Catalyst for Investment.
The program, being implemented in Tanga, is designed to empower youth under the age of 35 to engage in commercial dairy farming.
The aim is not subsistence farming, but rather farming at a business level that generates sustainable income and creates additional employment opportunities.
In the first phase, five pioneer youths have each been allocated a 10-acre farm.
On each farm, the bank has provided essential infrastructure, including a modern house for the beneficiary, a state-of-the-art cowshed with the capacity to house 10 dairy cows and their calves, a poultry unit for 200 local chickens, one acre of pastureland, a reliable water system (borehole) for both farming and irrigation, as well as five in-calf heifers of improved dairy breeds.
The ultimate goal is to ensure each beneficiary produces at least 40 liters of milk per day.
Speaking about the project’s progress, CPA Imani Nkatura, Senior Business Development Officer for TADB Northern Zone, said each youth beneficiary is expected to employ at least two additional young people, thereby expanding rural employment opportunities.
“Each cow produces an average of eight liters of milk per day, meaning that every farmer can supply more than 40 liters of milk to the market daily, ensuring sufficient milk for the community,” Nkatura explained.
He further noted that the initiative is meant to make these young farmers role models within their communities, demonstrating that agriculture and livestock keeping can be solutions to unemployment and drivers of economic prosperity for youth.
Through this partnership, TADB and Solidaridad have laid the foundation for a new generation of farmers and livestock keepers, transforming the perception of agriculture among young people from being seen as “a job for failures” to a profitable business and a key pillar of future economic growth.
