Sixth Tanzania innovation platform meeting reviews proposals for a national chicken forum

The sixth national innovation platform (IP) meeting of the African Chicken Genetic Gains (ACGG) program in Tanzania took place in Dar-es-Salaam on 3–4 May 2018.

Sixth Tanzania national innovation platform meeting participants (photo credit: ACGG).

The meeting which was attended by more than 40 people had the following objectives:

1. To share updates on recent developments within ACGG and the poultry industry in Tanzania including key lessons from other ACGG (Ethiopia and Nigeria) countries.
2. To re-examine lessons learnt so far in the ACGG project in Tanzania and agree on how best to develop sustainable solutions to challenges encountered including institutional evolution and working with the private sector.
3. To discuss and agree on a clear way forward for the national innovation platform as a mechanism for facilitating collective development action.

The ACGG Tanzania team gave an overview of activities and accomplishments in the ACGG program:

• Households surveyed: 3,665
• Indigenous strains tested: 15
• Improved strains tested: 10
• Households enrolled: 5,859
• On farm villages enrolled: 203
• Birds tested: 216,600 [exact total number as in Ethiopia?]
• On station testing sites: 6
• National IP facilitators (subnational coordinators–SNCs) trained: 25
• Community IP facilitators (enumerators and field officers) trained: 20
• National IPs conducted in three countries: 18
• PhDs trained (or under training): 20
• MScs trained (or under training): 35
• ACGG global program management team (PMT) meetings: 4
• Scientific and industrial advisory committee (SIAC) meetings: 4
• Country level PMT’s: Many
• Community IP convenings: Many

The participants explored the topic of the sustainability of the forum, a) emphasizing the need to clearly discuss the objectives of the proposed Chicken Forum for Tanzania, b) agreeing to register the forum and c) determining whether the forum could be part of the Tanzania Poultry Association or if it should be a separate entity. In working groups, they explored the main objectives of the forum, its structure, membership, hosting and coordination etc.

The agreed on a guiding vision of the ACGG Tanzania Smallholder Poultry Forum saying that it should be a platform for smallholder poultry farmers to voice their needs, share opportunities along the value chain, collectively influence policies, and monitor demand and supply of standardized quality products etc.

On the second day of the meeting, the participants reviewed the challenges and opportunities of five other poultry initiatives in Tanzania for the delivery of chicken ecotypes.

Read the sixth Tanzania national innovation platform meeting report.