Traditional leaders and women from Ngorongoro are seeking ways to turn milk from a basic livestock product into a higher-value source of income after visiting a dairy processing plant in Tanga.
The 33-member delegation of Malaigwanani (traditional leaders), prominent elders and women from 11 wards in Ngorongoro Division visited Tanga Fresh to learn how milk is collected, processed and converted into value-added products.
The visit, facilitated by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), was intended to expose residents to practical approaches that could help improve returns from livestock keeping.
The delegation was shown different stages of the dairy value chain, from milk collection to processing and marketing of finished products.
Chairman of the Ngorongoro Malaigwanani and Olbalbal Ward councillor, Metui Shaudo, said the experience had changed their understanding of the economic potential of milk.
“We have seen many things that we can use when we return to Ngorongoro. We have learned that milk can have greater value when it is properly processed instead of being sold raw, as is often the case among our people,” he said.
Mr Shaudo said the leaders would share the knowledge with residents in their respective communities to encourage greater value addition and improve incomes from livestock keeping.
For women who took part in the visit, the lessons offered an opportunity to explore ways of moving beyond selling raw milk and making more money from livestock products.
They said the visit had increased their knowledge of milk processing and value addition and pledged to share the lessons with other residents in Ngorongoro.
Traditional leader from Kakesio Ward, Ole Kotika, said such exchanges were also helping strengthen relations between the conservation authority and communities living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
He said exposure to modern livestock practices and dairy processing could help residents improve the quality of their products, strengthen the livestock value chain and increase household earnings.
The visit is part of NCAA's community development programmes aimed at equipping residents of the conservation area with skills and practical experience to improve their livelihoods.
The initiative comes as communities are being encouraged to get greater economic value from resources already available to them, including livestock and its products.