Horticulture project to benefit Kibaha residents

COAST REGION: RESIDENTS of the two streets of Mwanabwito and Kidai, located along the River Ruvu valley in Kibaha District, Coast Region, are set to benefit from a Community Empowerment through horticulture project.

This initiative will be jointly implemented by the Kibaha District Council and Anjita Child Development Foundation, with funding from the United States Embassy in Tanzania.

The project aims to address household income challenges, enhance food security, promote modern farming techniques, and educate farmers on effective ways to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Speaking at the launch of the project recently, the District’s Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Officer, Ms Evelyne Ngwira said that the initiative integrates economic empowerment with climate change mitigation by promoting sustainable horticultural practices that improve both resilience and nutrition.

“This project prioritises inclusivity by engaging people with special needs, and fosters self-sustainability through community ownership. It also emphasises market linkage strategies to ensure longterm viability and poverty reduction in the target areas,” she said.

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The Director of Anjita Child Development Foundation Ms Janet Christian said that the US Embassy had provided agricultural inputs worth 10.8m/- to support 10 farmer groups from the two streets. She further explained that the project would be piloted for one year before becoming sustainable.

“The farmers from these two streets came up with the idea for this project, which we believe will transform their lives in many positive ways. We are grateful to the US Embassy for their support and to our government for partnering with us to serve these communities,” she added.

Farmers from both Mwanabwito and Kidai expressed their hopes of benefiting from the project by learning from agricultural specialists.