USADF Signs Three Grants to Support Grassroots Groups in Tanzania:

WASHINGTON - September 22, 2009  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 22, 2009 – In an effort to support grassroots groups in Tanzania, the United States African Development Foundation has signed three grants which will benefit the Gando Farmers Association (GAFA), Jumuiya ya Wakulima wa Kilimo Hai Usambara Mashariki (JUWAKAIHUMA), and International TanFeeds.

After signing the grant, USADF President Lloyd Pierson stated, “The farmers on Pemba Island are some of the most marginalized people in Tanzania.  The grant will help create jobs and secure a better quality of life for these farmers.”

Located on Pemba Island, GAFA is an association that produces organic spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, and black pepper for domestic and export markets.  Currently GAFA works with 3,000 members to enhance the quality life of people living on Pemba.  GAFA is looking to expand membership to an additional 2,000 members and prevent environmental degradation to the surrounding villages.  They seek to secure viable market outlets, broaden employment opportunities, and begin producing additional products such as essential and massage oils, organic herbal soaps, and lotions. The eighteen month grant will finance an office space, the development of a business plan, the purchase of solar driers and grinding equipment, and training in organic farming methods for member farmers.

JUWAKAIHUMA produces and markets organic spices in the Muheza District of the Tanga Region in Northern Tanzania.  More than 600 members grow cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon grass, ginger and turmeric.  The cooperative provides for training in organic farming techniques and sustainable farming practices.  The eighteen month grant will fund collection centers, training in accounting and farming practices, and the establishment of an organic tree nursery.

International TanFeeds produces and markets animal feed in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania. The company purchases farm crops and crop by-products from smallholder farmers, processes them, and mixes them into animal feed. TanFeeds then distributes the feed to both subsistence and commercial livestock farmers located in urban centers and sub-urban areas in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro Region. The four year grant is designed to construct a new animal feed processing factory, purchase equipment, fund training, and improve the design, packaging, and labeling of the animal feeds products.

USADF began programming in Tanzania in 1986.   Tanzania’s current portfolio stands at thirty-one investment projects totaling more than $6.2 million.  For more information about the portfolio, please visit the country’s quick source page at http://www.adf.gov/USADF-QuickSourceCountryPortfolioPage-Tanzania.htm.

The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) is a United States Government agency dedicated to expanding access to economic opportunity in Africa. Currently USADF operates in 20 African nations.  Over the past 25 years, USADF has funded nearly 1,500 projects representing in excess of $150 million in support of African enterprises and local African communities.  For more information on USADF, its programs and application guidelines, visit www.usadf.gov.

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