KT’s oil mill is all ready logistically. We have started processing local customers’ seed for their own use, but selling oil under our own label is still waiting for the Tanzania Bureau of Standards and Tanzania Food & Drug Association to give their final go-ahead.

Today we had the privilege of the District Commissioner for Lindi coming to take a tour of KT (above right in the white hardhat).

We still need startup capital to purchase seed from local farmers. Please consider giving a gift for our sunflower startup capital. This gift will keep on giving as income generated this year will allow us to purchase seed again next year. The more startup capital we have the more poor farmers we will help this year and every year after.

KT is raising chickens, an improved local variety called Kroiler (and NOT to be confused with broiler). We had about 2000 chickens but are now thinning out the roster of the first two batches. We plan to raise the rest of the hens and a few roosters for parent stock. By October we will start breeding and hopefully by November have our first new generation of KT birds.

The goal is to breed chicks and then supply chicks, feed, vaccines and medications as necessary and whatever else is needed for the local villages to be able to be growers. They grow the chickens to full weight and then bring them back to KT for sale. KT slaughters, packages, freezes and markets. A win-win for everyone involved.

Consider supporting our sustainable chicken project until it is sustainable in about one more year.

Conservation Agriculture at work!

Results!

KT was given the privilege of being the guest of honor at the local village secondary school. This school has about 450 students. The school property borders KT’s farm. We have had the privilege of hosting each of the secondary school classes on our farm as part of our agricultural extension program. This is also the school for which KT is supplying water for all the teachers’ homes and all the lavatories on the school property.

Mwassa Jingi, KT’s Operations Manager and Company Secretary, was the main speaker, challenging the graduating class not to stop their education at this point but to always keep learning in whatever capacity available.

KT is nearly finished with the first chicken coop. This coop will be able to raise nearly 2,000 chickens at a time. We are intending to start with a broiler variety that is a crossbreed between traditional broilers and local African varieties that are much stronger. Eventually we expect to raise layers also. Our long-term goal is actually to become a breeder and have our interns and local farmers be the growers. But this chicken coop is the starting point. We are researching all the ins and outs of the laws here in Tanzania to make sure we have everything in order so we can start as soon as possible with this operation.

At Kilimo Timilifu (KT) we have been trying to raise support for electrical installation.

Our target is $25,600 USD

As of today 30-Sep-2018 we have raised $23,875 USD leaving us with only $1,725 left to raise.

Consider helping us finish out this project 100%. See the Electrical Installation Project page for details.

This is KT’s first Chicken coop. A large area to keep chickens. The coop protects the poor farming neighbors vegetable gardens from thieving non cooped chickens, it protects the chickens from a wide range of predators, it protects the chickens from other fowl diseases by not allowing other fowl to come in contact with them. Chickens will be free to roam safe inside the large coop. In our context, it’s the best for everyone.

This one building will have two large coops and one smaller quarantine coop for new flock introductions. These coops will be used to train interns in chicken production and marketing. We expect this to group into a business that supports the interns and internship program.

While training in agriculture and cooperative markets is our focus, at Kilimo Timilifu (KT) we are also trying to help the local primary school. The Mchinga Mbili Primary School had only five classrooms for seven grades. We have just completed building two brand new fully-furnished classrooms for the community school. The school, students, parents and local village government were very grateful. We were glad to help out in this way.

The total project cost was $11,930 USD. We were able to raise $5,000 USD before we started building. But due to the urgency of this need, we went ahead with this project. We are still in need of $6,930 to complete the budget for this project. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the classroom project to help us cover these costs, please follow this link and donate at the bottom of the page and add the word “Classroom” in the comment line of your donation.