Over 84,000 earmarked for youth-based agriculture projects

A TOTAL of 84,590 youth aged 15 to 35 have been identified through the ‘Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture (YEFFA)’ project, aimed at unlocking agricultural opportunities for young people in the Dodoma Region.

The project, initiated by the Voice of Youth Tanzania (VOYOTA) organisation, is being implemented over a one-year period (2024–2025).

Dodoma Regional Administrative Secretary Kaspar Mmuya revealed recently while opening a working session involving VOYOTA and the development partners of which the two parties discussed how to achieve the project’s goals.

“This organisation has shared with us that its goal is to help youth explore opportunities in agriculture. They began by developing a profile to understand how many youth farmers are in this group. I’ve been informed that since the launch of the project in July last year, 84,590 youth have been identified, and they have set monthly targets not to fall below 2,500 youth,” he said.

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On his part, YEFFA Project Manager from VOYOTA, Andrew Buhuba, said the project prioritises women, aiming for at least 80 percent of the beneficiaries to be women.

The project is being implemented in six regions including Dodoma and will continue for an additional three years.

The manager added that they have signed agreements with lead farmers to explore how to reach more youth in Dodoma Region, particularly in Chamwino and Dodoma Districts, and have met with local leaders to address emerging challenges.

The YEFFA project which is funded by AGRA, works by registering farmers into a database that enables them to access various opportunities associated with the project.