Agricultural youth entrepreneurship program Tanzania
YEP TANZANIA (‘Youth Entrepreneurship Program’) is a Tanzanian NGO established in 2015. Before 2015, YEP staff was executing business programs through its Dutch partner organization Stichting Sengerema (Sengerema Foundation – https://www.sengerema.nl/). Stiching Sengerema has been conducting business programs for youth in Tanzania since 2008. It started in Sengerema, and was expanded to Misungwi, Iringa, Dodoma, Rombo (Kilimanjaro region) and Arusha. Currently our main programs are in Arusha and Misungwi, while we have some small activities in Rombo and Dodoma.
Together the two organizations started agricultural activities since three years at a location 100 m from Lake Victoria with the objective of sustainable income generation for the youth by means of an entrepreneurial approach. Several local partners are participating in the program:
- The ministry of livestock
- The College of agriculture
- Seed suppliers
- Local young entrepreneurs from the Sengerema program
The program is managed by the Dutch entrepreneurship trainer, a project manager from Tanzania, a Dutch volunteer and one project manager from the foundation Sengerema.
On an era of 100 m x 300 m two greenhouses have been realized of 600 m² and 400 m² respectively. The target is to expand until 2000 m², five greenhouses.
The success depends on the entrepreneurial mentality and the training of the capacity of the groups involved. They need support in operating the greenhouses, in on-the-job learning of the technologies and skills involved, about fertilizers, disease treatment etc. etc. as well as exploring market opportunities. 15 vocational training students in two groups are now being trained in horticulture and 12 are involved in animal husbandry, focusing on goats for milk production. The number of goats at the beginning of 2022 is 175.
Challenges and tasks for interns:
- Drip irrigation needs to be introduced in the greenhouses that have been realized so far.
- Supporting and coaching is required for the youth groups in agriculture, horticulture, and animal husbandry by knowledge transfer and skills training in an experimental way (learning on-the-job).
- Supporting and coaching the youth groups in entrepreneurial skills and market exploration. It is the objective to produce for the local market, not for export.
- Discuss and explore what next steps are most effective for the development of the project.
The project offers many more internship opportunities as it is developing quickly and with a large number of people involved.
Contact: Otto Kroesen (see contact page)