Launched in Liwale District back in 2006, authorities say the District Agricultural Development Programmes (DADPs) is increasingly gaining popularity in the region.
“Over 350 households in Liwale District are now practicing livestock keeping in favour of other economic activities,” the Liwale District Livestock and Fisheries Officer, Benard Kivamba.
Speaking to the press at the just-ended national agricultural festival held on Ngongo grounds in the region, the officer said the progress made so far is promising.
The officer described it as a positive development and associated it directly to government initiatives to increase agricultural based activities in the region.
“We have worked hard to achieve this…investments have been heavy, we have supplied interested parties with livestock and other resources to kick start their animal husbandry practice and now it is paying off,” Kivamba said.
“We wanted to ensure that the activity gains momentum in the district and now I can assure you that Liwale is one of the leading districts keeping livestock in the southern zone,” he added.
He went on to explain that, traditionally, residents in the region were livestock keepers but given the readily available resources for the practice, including pasture and water supply, the government found it a viable location to invest in agriculture.
“Readiness of residents to engage in livestock keeping was also among the defining factors that made it feasible to launch the initiative in the district,” the District Livestock and Fisheries Officer detailed.
Under the programme, every village in the district has an area set aside for grazing livestock and for crop farming.
“The clear demarcations and use of modernised production methods have greatly reduced land based disputes,” he said.
“We thank the government for providing us with free cows and goats when they were starting the programme and making veterinary services available,” they said.
Commenting, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, Juma Bulali, expressed gratitude to the government for their support through the initiative.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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