April 2012
This is the communiqué sent to the prime minister of the United Republic Tanzania, hon. Mizengo Kayanza Peter Pinda (MP) on the commercialization of the indigenous poultry industry in Tanzania - setting out our recommendations.
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3 February 2011
The roles of an innovation broker can never be predicted in precision especially when enabling innovations in poor economies like Tanzania.
Our approach to removing bottlenecks has taught me that it is so practical and wise to be committed to one big vision and just be ready to cross bridges only when you are there! Thanks to DFID for the flexibility!
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28 January 2011
RIU create safety net for the elderly in Tanzania
At the start of 2011 we met with 50 farmers in Rufiji Distict, Tanzania who had their chickens ready for sale. These farmers, together with another 2000 had signed a contract with KuKuDeal, an RIU Tanzania initiative to keep between 200 and 400 local chickens. The contract provides farmers with chickens, feeds for the first one month, all vaccines, drugs and a market after 4 months. Contract farming is a new concept among the farmers so not many were ready to sign during the first round.
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29 October 2010
The latest Update from RIU Tanzania comes from a new poultry entrepreneur, Maseu Kazembe, who is taking part in the RIU-supported indigenous poultry commercialisation programme.
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25 October 2010
This week I heard from Maseu Kazembe - he is a young poultry entrepreneur we have been supporting. It's always good to hear farmer's voices and so for the update this week I am simply showing you his comments and pictures. From the photos you will see his developing farm, his healthy chicken and the new sheds he has built. The fact that he wants to share what he has learned with others locally is clearly a bonus.
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26 September 2010
The RIU Tanzania's work on indigenous poultry continues to experience new challenges: Challenges that are indeed business opportunities, if looked at from the right perspective. However, such challenges tend to give us RIU innovation brokers sleepless nights!
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7 September 2010
Recently the RIU Tanzania team went around four districts in the Coast Region. We held meetings with 1500 poultry keeping households supported by the program. This trip involved six RIU Tanzania staff and six students from Sokoine University of Agriculture who were on field attachment with us, and our two hardworking drivers, Sella and Sylvester. That makes a squad of fourteen people!
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22 August 2010
Only last month the Government of
Tanzania waived all import taxes and VAT on incubators and hatching machines. The RIU Team engaged with the Ministry of Livestock to achieve this. It was a triumph to know that as from the 1 July 2010 import taxes charged on any equipment meant for livestock breeding services will end. To us it was a big milestone.
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14 July 2010
Every time I go to shower, I ponder about what we do in RIU.
My sons saw me talk to farmers after one of the farmer exchange visits to hatcheries. The youngest asked me "mom are you a politician? People were clapping and laughing when you talked"…. and later his brother asked "mom what exactly do you do?" I wished I was a teacher as the answer would have been very simple.
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10 March 2010
Following the 2009 reviews, we have made a number of changes to our programme. We are now focusing on out-scaling and impact, our priorities to 2011 are to test various ways of working to impact on commercial indigenous poultry production for small-scale rural farmers, increasing access to agricultural information, and until 2010, increasing smallholder farmers' access to farm machinery as an important input for increasing agricultural productivity.
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