Kibaha District Council allocates 300 acres for agriculture program

The Kibaha District Council in the Pwani region of Tanzania allocated 300 acres of land for the second phase of the Jenga Kesho Iliyo Bora (BBT) program. The initiative aims to transform the agricultural sector into a profitable business and a source of employment for local residents.

The council selected 229 beneficiaries, including 114 young people and 115 women, after reviewing 502 applications.

Out of the 300 acres, 250 acres are designated for farming activities, while 50 acres are reserved for infrastructure such as dams, wells, and roads. Regina Beda, the Director of the Kibaha District Council, stated that the council has already cleared 284 acres, which represents 94.67 percent of the total area. The implementation of this local project cost 165.6 million Tanzanian shillings.

This figure includes 9.2 million shillings for the identification and qualification of the beneficiaries, 142 million shillings for clearing the farmland, and 14.46 million shillings for management of the clearing operations. Beda noted that the council faced challenges during preparations because some residents were living on and using the land for livestock farming.

On a national level, Muhidini Senginde from the Ministry of Agriculture coordination team reported that the government selected 2,960 young people to benefit from the second phase of the BBT program across 18 councils. The government has identified 136,216 acres for collective farms so far, reaching 40 percent of its 340,000-acre goal. The Ministry of Agriculture allocated 2.064 billion Tanzanian shillings to fund the program across the participating councils.