IPPMedia.com reports that the four-year US$13.4 million project is to be implemented by the Bangladesh-founded international non-governmental organization—BRAC Maendeleo Tanzania.

Regions which are to benefit from the pro-poor project include Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Morogoro, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Manyara, Singida, Dodoma, Tabora, Mwanza, Shinyanga, Mara, Mbeya and Iringa.

Speaking in Arusha over the weekend at the orientation workshop, that involved different stakeholders, BRAC Tanzania’s regional coordinator, Samwel Kajiba, said the project dubbed "Livelihood Enhancement through Agriculture Development (LEAD) will empower farmers and poultry keepers with training to make them increase productivity and easily access markets.

The official said the project aspires to increase rural incomes, capacity building for smallholder farmers, agricultural productivity and greater food security.

"A number of people will be involved in this project, such as farmers, District Agricultural and Livestock Development Officers, extension officers, and agro-dealers," Mr Kajiba said, adding that in their groups, farmers will be forced to establish demonstration farms, where other farmers will be trained on the techniques needed to increase productivity.

"This project has two main components: agriculture (maize) and livestock (local poultry)," said Hem Chandro Roy, who is the BRAC LEAD’s project manager.

He said the project will work directly with 53, 000 poultry farmers in the country and address a number of constraints facing farmers - build up their capacities, assist them to access high quality farming inputs and creating marketing facilities of their produce.

According to Mr Roy, making market work for the poor (M4P), is an approach that will be applied during the implementation of the project.

Acting Arusha Regional Administrative Secretary, Exaud Mwanga said the project will help to create jobs for Tanzanians, especially those living in rural areas, such as farmers, livestock keepers and agro-dealers.

"I thank BRAC for coming up with this project, which is meant to reduce poverty — the deadly enemy to the country’s socio-economic development," Mr Mwanga said, urging beneficiaries of the project to explore all the opportunities available in the project.

BRAC, which started operations in Tanzania in 2006, is an international micro-finance organisation that has successfully implemented a number of pro-poor-related projects in different countries, which have contributed immensely in transforming lives of the poor.